I'm Only Human
by BloodLustKasura
Summary: All of Kagome's comrades are killed and Naraku is finally defeated, but she has to stay with Sesshoumaru. SessxKag Chapter 20 up!
1. Prologue

**This is my first-ever Sesshoumaru and Kagome fanfic, so don't be too harsh . Only about a month ago did I find out that I absolutely loved this pairing! I'm not sure if this is any good or not, so I'm just gonna have fun with it. **

**Prologue**

Black clouds hung over the forest, it's trees leaves all fallen off and the dirt below left cold, winters first snow ready to fall within days. A loud wind blew over, causing the branches to creak, and some even to fall in its violent wake. In the dark forests depths is where the hanyou stood, blocking powerful attacks from a familiar foe. The half-demon's once bright silver hair was matted with dirt and blood, plastered to his cheek. He looked back, worried about his companion, the only one left alive, the only one he could protect. The girl stood, watching with pained eyes as her dark raven tresses were whipped around by the aggressive wind. For a brief moment her dark eyes met his deep amber ones, and they could not break away. Her gaze was pleading, as was his. He gave her a reluctant smile as though to say it would be alright. She would be alright, even if he would not…

Naraku shot one of his tentacles through InuYasha 's chest, pinning him momentarily to a tree before ripping it out, causing his gaze to break with Kagome's. He slid down the trees base, leaving a trail of blood on it's bark. Kagome had been knocked down moments earlier and had a hard time gaining her breath, especially after watching InuYasha get hit over and over by Naraku's attacks.

Naraku turned to her, grinning as one of his tentacle arms darted forward and pierced through her shoulder. She screamed, falling back down the to ground, watching in horror as the blood soaked through the torn fabric of her school uniform. With much needed force, she opened her eyes to see her dear friend the taijya laying in a pool of her own blood, most obviously dead, next to Kirara, who was barely hanging onto life, her once soft tawny-yellow fur stained and clumped with blood. Kagome looked to the other side to see the purple and indigo robes of the monk, also stained with a vast amount of his body .

She whimpered, pulling herself along the grass when someone stepped on her neck, barely allowing even the smallest bit of air into her lungs.

"Trying to save your pathetic self?" Naraku chuckled, digging his heel into her jugular. Kagome could feel the vertebrae in her neck ready to crack under the pressure.

She let out a small whimper, her voice barely audible even to the ears of a demon, and doubted anyone could hear her, or that she would be saved. "P-please…"

"Please?" Naraku repeated. "As though that would allow me to stop…" she felt his heel press harder on the delicate flesh of her neck.

Kagome clenched her eyes shut tight, waiting for the unbearable wait to stop, when she felt the pressure on her neck suddenly release, all to quickly. She sat up, hacking and coughing, gasping for breath. She rubbed her throat, and willed herself to turn and see the cause for the delay in his attack. To her surprise, Naraku was laying down, his eyes rolled back and laying in a pool of his dark, youkai blood. She felt a tear sting her eye as the wound at her should began to throb in pain. She heard the sound of feet in the grass and looked up to see Sesshoumaru, the last person she would've expected seeing, but at the same time was so grateful.

He re-sheathed his sword and turned, walking to the tree his brother was laying at, and could tell by the hanyou's scent that he was still alive. "Sesshou…" InuYasha groaned, taking the time to place his bloodied hand on the hilt of his sword. "Did you…"

"I killed him." Sesshoumaru said. "But you, brother, are not long for this world."

"I know," he coughed, blood rising from his lips, "if you could…" he looked off to where Kagome was, sitting and watching the two, crying unbearably. "If you could take care of her, I'd be… grateful…" he pulled the Tetsusaiga from the tie at his hip and handed it to the tall youkai. "And you can keep this. I'm sure if you can take care of her, you'll be able to use it."

Sesshoumaru looked at the sword in befuddlement, but reached forward and clasped it. This time there was no spark nor burn to his palm. Was he able to hold it because his brother willingly handed it forward, or was it because Sesshoumaru, whether he knew it or not, would watch after the girl?

"You were such… an ass…" InuYasha smiled weakly, "but I'm sure if things were different long ago, you would've been an alright brother…" with that, he closed his deep golden eyes. Sesshoumaru watched, almost pained by his brothers words and actions. Was it sorrow he felt? Or regret? He did not know, but he stepped away from the hanyou, not wishing to look at his brothers saddened face and bloodied body any longer. His eyes broke contact as he turned back to Kagome, who had stood up, still weeping.

"Inu…" she choked out, her eyes locked on the half-demon. She brought a trembling hand to her mouth and let out a choked sob, losing all her strength and falling to her knees. "Why!" She cried. "If you had to die, why couldn't I go with you!" She held the completed Shikon-no-Tama in her hand. She felt the hot tears sting her eyes and roll down her cheek, and the anger welled up inside her. She threw the jewel at a tree, so angry she had ever had it in her body, that she had broken it, that she had completed it. "I would've been happy… if I could've searched for the shards with you… forever… I didn't want it to end…" she punched the ground, skinning her knuckles.

Sesshoumaru approached her. "Ningen," he said, "let's go."

She looked up, and for a split moment, could see InuYasha's image in the youkai. His long silver hair, his golden eyes… his dog ears… and that was enough to cause her to break down again. "Please… don't make me leave him…" she whispered, digging her fingers into the dirt.

Sesshoumaru sighed irritated, and leaned down, looping an arm around her stomach and throwing her over his shoulder. She cried, clutching the white fabric of his haori, her tears soaking through and reaching his skin. After a long time, her sobbing eased, and she had fallen asleep on the youkai's shoulder as he began the trek to return to his castle.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

**I'm Only Human**

**Author Note: **I'm so surprised that some people actually like this! It makes me want to write more. Oh, and one thing: the more I write in a story, it usually gets worse later on (just one of my flaws :P) But yes, here's the first chapter. Thank you all so much!!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of Rumiko Takahashi's _InuYasha. _They are hers, not mine.

'_It's so… cold…'_ Kagome thought, willing herself to open her eyes, only then realizing the pain in her shoulder. "Ah…" she gasped, sitting up and clutching the wound. She removed her hand and looked at it, covered in fresh blood. She looked at her shoulder, blood slowly seeping through the bandages on her arm. "Who bandaged…"

"Fool," came a voice from across the room. "You've reopened it."

"Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, looking down at her legs, covered by a thin sheet. She was hoping it was all a dream and none of it had really happened, but being with Sesshoumaru was proof enough. "Where are we?" She was too out of it too notice that her clothing had been discarded and she was sitting before him, nearly naked. "Where are my clothes?" She said carefully, covering herself with her arms.

"They were burnt and bloody, so I had to rid of them. " He said, taking his haori off and draping it over her shoulders, careful to avoid the wounded one. He lifted her arm and undid the bandages slowly, uncovering her wound. With the blood wiped off of it, it did not look half as gruesome, but was still a nasty gash. "My castle." He stated, avoiding her gaze. He took a cloth from beside him and pressed it to the wound, stinging her flesh. "It's just medicine, it won't hurt for long."

"Why are you… taking care of me?" She asked quietly, almost a whisper.

He was quiet, his crisp gold eyes intent on the ministrations he was performing. "Because my brother wished it so."

"InuYasha…" she said the name of who he spoke. "Is he…"

"Dead." Sesshoumaru finished as he tucked the end of the bandage under another strip. "There, now go to sleep." He stood, approaching the doorway.

"Sesshoumaru… is he really dead?"

He hung his head down slightly. It was painful to see her in such denial, he would admit. "Hai." He said before leaving the room and sliding the rice paper door shut once more.

She crawled over to the near window, pulling the haori together to cover her better and rested her good arm on the window sill. The moon was gone this night, only filling her mind with the memories of the hanyou as a human. '_Is that why he lost? Was he weak?'_ She felt the tears sting her eyes again, but wiped them away with her sleeve. "I'm not going to cry over this anymore…" she sniffled. "It won't bring him back…" she said. She looked out the window again, an owl gliding over the forest and dipping down and hiding in it's depths. "I never even got to know how he felt about me…"

Kagome was up and walking, not that it was too hard, her shoulder being the thing that was wounded and all. She had begun walking around the castle, learning the various pathways and corridors and where they led. "Did he just leave? I wouldn't expect Sesshoumaru to just do that…" She told herself. Even if she thought of something else, her thoughts always led back to InuYasha. And then… was he just laying there? Meat for the birds and other wild animals and demons?

"Ningen," Sesshoumaru said, coming up from behind her. "I don't believe I gave you the order to get up, did I?"

"Sesshoumaru, we have to go and at least give him a proper burial!" She said desperately.

He eyed her carefully. He would definitely have to get her some clothing of her own, his haori was just a little to short for her, and exposed most of her thigh and below. "After we get you some clothing." He stated turning and leaving her standing in the hall.

"He's so…" she did not even bother to finish the sentence. She just hoped that they could get InuYasha's soul to rest in time.

"Madam," came a female's voice. Kagome turned to face a tall female demon, with long white hair, with most of it tied up into a bun. "Come with me so I can find you a kimono." She said, staring Kagome down with her deep blue eyes.

"Umm… alright," Kagome said as she followed the woman down the hall. She was most obviously youkai, with her striking white hair, cat like pupils, her inhumanly deep ocean-blue eyes, and her pointed ears. She was utterly beautiful, as most demons were. "May I ask your name?"

"Ritsu," she replied curtly in what sounded like a throaty growl. "What is your relation with my master?"

"Oh… he's my friends… brother." She managed to choke out.

"Oh?" Ritsu said in a mocking voice, taunting. She had known about the hanyou's death and decided to pester the ningen girl. "And what was his name?"

"Inu…Yasha." Kagome said quietly, her voice strained. Her eyes began to sting with oncoming tears.

"The half demon, correct? Well, I don't see why you're here. Sesshoumaru-sama never cared for any of the hanyou's friends, or the hanyou for that matter." She smirked inwardly at the torment the girl was receiving.

Kagome stayed quiet, watching her feet as she continued walking forward, tightening her grip on Sesshoumaru's haori that cloaked her still. If he truly hated them, why would he be helping her? She had not known that InuYasha had given Sesshoumaru his Tetsusaiga, so was not in on the deal they had made. It suddenly dawned on her that she could still go home. But did he know that?

Sesshoumaru sat in the room that he had claimed as his in the castle, holding the Tetsusaiga in his hand, slightly missing the warmth his haori had provided, his torso clothed only in the thin yukata he had worn beneath. He smiled, amused at the sword. "Not as satisfying since it was just… given to me." he said quietly to himself. '_He said to take care of her, that does not mean I have to like her,'_ he thought to himself. His thoughts briefly drifted to the girl. '_If she were to find her way home-'_

The sword sparked in his hand, causing him to grimace and drop it unexpectedly. "Damn…" he began to say.

'_I'm sure if you can take care of her, you'll be able to use it,'_ he had said.

"So in order to use the sword, I must keep watch over her?" He chuckled, amused at the thought. "It seems your final words have bonded me to the girl, brother. Clever… for you." He went to pick up the sword again, somewhat cautiously. No burn this time. "I suppose her presence may be… durable."

"Always talk to yourself, master?"

"Ritsu, did I give you permission to enter my room and disturb me?" He glared at her through his cold golden eyes, piercing through her.

"No, not quite… thought you might like to know that that girl ran off," she smirked, a fang escaping her closed lips.

"What?!" Sesshoumaru snarled with a flash of his fang s and stood abruptly, running out of the room.

Ritsu stood where she was, with at first a frown painted on her pale face. This turned to a look of pure hatred she turned and slammed her fist into the wall, the splintered wood cut into her hand, blood trickling down her arm and dripping onto the floor. "You weren't supposed to care," she growled, digging one of her fangs into her lower lip and drawing blood, trying to divert her anger.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author Note:** This one didn't come out as well as I had hoped, but you know... it's done. So yeah.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter Two**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome sprinted through the forest, desperately holding the haori closed, occasionally stopping to catch her breath and allow her wound to stop its throbbing pain. Everything had been unfamiliar but now things were beginning to become recognizable. She ran more, and soon fell to her knees in exhaustion, panting and heaving out ragged breaths, her knees resting in a spot where the grass was a yellow-green. Looking up, she saw her goal; the well. She stood up, rather weak, and staggered over to it.

Ritsu's words still rang clear in her head, "_He doesn't need you here. You're just a burden to him."_

"Like it matters. We weren't anything even _close_ to friends." She rested her hands on the rim of the well and lifted her tired legs over the edge, ready to push herself off when a strong hand clasped over her wrist. "Let me go," she said to the person, already knowing who it was.

Sesshoumaru watched her back carefully, listening to her quavering voice but let her hand go. "You can't go without this," he said, rolling the jewel between his forefinger and thumb.

Kagome turned to see the jewel in his clawed hand and attempted to snatch it. He pulled his arm out of the way causing her to fall over in the grass.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," her voice was strained, "please let me go. I don't want to be a burden to you."

"You think I am not a youkai of my word?" He inquired, lifting her up by her arm. "I made a promise," he whispered so that only he could hear it. He held his hand out and she noticed he was offering her the jewel.

"You should keep this with you," he said, setting it in her palm.

Kagome nodded and clenched her fingers around the small orb. Sesshoumaru began leading the way, and Kagome followed.

After some time the surroundings were once again unfamiliar, and Kagome tried to keep up with the tall youkai's elegant stride, and found that she had much difficulty in doing so in her state of fatigue.

"Ningen," the demons voice seemed loud against the silence.

Kagome picked her head up and found that she had almost fallen asleep while walking.

"The castle is in sight," he said.

Kagome nodded and straightened her back, trying to wake herself up more, at least until they reached the castle.

Kagome learned the hard way that it was very cold that night. Her bare feet crunched through the frosty grass and her legs burned against the cold wind. She tightened her arms around herself and kept up her pace.

Something crunched behind them, but Kagome did not hear it. She kept walking and slammed into the leading youkai's back. She stumbled back and was about to apologize when Sesshoumaru's hand snaked out and covered her mouth.

She mumbled through his hand 'what is it?' but he did not answer. His free hand went to the hilt of his sword and drew it out. He did not bring the Tetsusaiga with him, for fear of how it would react to him. He moved his hand from Kagome's mouth, assuming she knew to be quiet, and placed it on the swords handle, too.

Kagome looked around but could see nothing, her weak human eyes barely able to penetrate the darkness, unlike demons could.

Sesshoumaru could see like it was daytime, his crisp golden eyes darting at every movement.

"Show yourself," he called out.

Quiet answered them for a moment, and then the ground vibrated softly. Kagome gasped as she saw a large paw smash some trees just fifteen feet in front of them. Kagome looked up and saw a large wolf, lips drawn back, leaving gruesome fangs exposed, coated in saliva and blood.

"Youkai, what is your purpose in my territory?" Sesshoumaru asked, rather calmly.

The youkai gave a series of low barks and growls, and Sesshoumaru understood every one of them, then it turned its gaze towards the small ningen, its red eyes startlingly bright in the dark.

Sesshoumaru turned to Kagome. "Ningen, do you know this youkai?"

Kagome's footing faltered as she stared up at the wolf. "Know him? It's a wolf, how could I know it?"

The wolf growled and bowed its head down. The wind picked up and blew the dead leaves that covered the ground out of the area. The youkai seemed to be getting smaller. Within a minute, it had shrunk to human size and was enveloped in a cloud of dust.

"Do you recognize him now, human?" Sesshoumaru growled, irritated. This demon was taking up his time.

Kagome squinted through the darkness, attempting to make out the image of the thing in the dust. "Kouga…?" She whispered to herself.

Kouga came forward and looked Sesshoumaru in the eye, although he was not nearly as tall as the Inu-Youkai. His cerulean eyes gleamed in the dark as he stared at the silver-haired demon.

Sesshoumaru kept his stance, not backing down. "This demon has told me you two are to be wed, and you should be left in his care from now on."

Kagome just looked at him. How could Kouga still think that? Was it because InuYasha was dead?

"Kouga," Kagome began.

Kouga turned to her and spoke before she could go any further. "Kagome, I know InuYasha is dead, but you don't need to stay with his brother. You can come with me now." He reached out to take her hand but she stepped back.

Kagome shook her head, her hair settling over her shoulders. Seeing Kouga was almost too much. It was good, no, _great_, to see him again. A familiar face was sometimes the best of things.

"Kagome, why stay with him?" Kouga said quietly, as though Sesshoumaru would not be able to pick up the sound of his voice with his youkai ears.

Sesshoumaru stared up at the sky, what was the moon that night, and tried not to listen to their conversation, but it was hard not to hear. Maybe he should back away a little…

Their voices came softly, hushed, in tones that seemed to reflect more than just companionship. It almost made him irate to listen to it.

"It's a promise," Kagome finally provided after a long period of silence.

"From who? A promise you couldn't break for me?" He said '_me_' like he was supposed to mean the entire world to her, or to make her feel guilty.

Guilt is what she felt. She wanted to tell him neither yes nor no, but knew she could not. She took her lower lip into her mouth and gnawed on it with her teeth.

Kouga sighed, his hands on her shoulders now. He rubbed his thumbs in small circles against the fabric of her shirt, absentmindedly. "Kagome, if you stay with him," he seemed to be approaching a subject he did not want to, but it seemed that fate would have it that way if he wanted to convince her to stay with him. "If you stay with him, you'll be reminded of InuYasha-"

Kagome gasped. He knew it… he went too far.

He tried to mend the situation and added quickly, "I just don't want you to stay with him and be hurt by it."

Kagome brushed his hands off her shoulders and stepped back. "Kouga, it's not my choice. He made a promise, and he's keeping it, regardless of what _I_ think." Kagome doubted if she would go with Kouga even if she could. What would InuYasha think if she were to simply run off with someone else after his late death?

Sesshoumaru watched as the filthy wolf put his hands on Kagome and as she refused him, and almost smiled. The anger that welled inside him subsided slightly. Kagome was his property now, in a manner of speaking, and she would not run off with some wolf.

There was always a small infatuation between them, well, in Kagome's case. Something in Kouga seemed to snap the moment he first saw her and he was automatically in love with the young miko, but Kagome's feelings toward him didn't read as much. He was dear to her like a brother, maybe a little more than that, but not enough to return his feelings. Kagome stepped forward with open arms and draped them over his shoulders. Kouga complied, taking this as agreement to leave with him. He nuzzled his face in her silky black hair and inhaled her scent, his arms tight at her waist.

"I'm sorry Kouga," she said.

Kouga suddenly looked up at the sound of her voice, so low and soft. "What?"

"I can't go with you," she said, bending as he pressed her tighter to himself, as though she would be absorbed into him and that way she wouldn't be able to leave him.

His fisted her hair in his hands, almost painfully against her scalp, and she realized he wasn't being forceful, he was holding back tears. He sniffled over her shoulder and a hot tear fell on the junction of her neck and shoulder, where he would have marked her as his bride.

Kagome had never seen, or rather felt and heard, Kouga cry before. Not even when his comrades were slain by Naraku, he had not cried, but broke out into an undying rage. She was almost afraid in his arms, as though he would forget himself and tear her to shreds.

"I…" he began slowly, almost choking on the words. He held her hair tightly in his hand and bit his lip to prevent crying on the spot. "I don't believe you…" he lied to himself and her.

"Kouga…" he suddenly drew himself out of her arms and looked her in the eye, his bright blue irises gleaming through the darkness like a beam.

"I don't believe you. I'll be back for you Kagome-" he spared a glance at Sesshoumaru, who was dusting imaginary particles from his silken sleeves. "- another day." Kagome couldn't get another word out, for he had taken her lips in a fierce kiss. She gave a small cry against him and before she could object or push him away, he was gone, speeding away towards his mountain.

"Bye Kouga," Kagome said quietly to herself, no one to hear her but the demon lord behind her.

"Sesshoumaru?" she asked.

His answer was silent, but he watched her intently, as though she would do something unexpected.

"Tomorrow, could we go and bury my friends?"

"Whatever pleases you. Tomorrow, I shall assist you with the burial of your friends."

Kagome bowed, although he was turned so he could not see the action. "Thank you."

Sesshoumaru finished digging the wholes and gently laid the bodies of the young miko's friends in, throwing the dirt back on top. Kagome returned after she left to pick flowers to set on their graves.

She kneeled down at last by the hanyou's grave, set at the base of the Sacred Tree. She had gotten a kimono to wear, finally; a dark violet with a blue sash. Not as easy to move around in, but it was better than trotting around in just a haori.

"InuYasha, I hope you find peace," she whispered, laying the largest bouquet on his grave. She held the Rosary that had strung his neck once before and bound them together. He at least deserved to be free of it during death.

Sesshoumaru stood by and watched as the young human girl paid each grave its respect, then stop at his brothers. She whispered something he could not hear, and then laid a bunch of flowers down. She ran her hand on the freshly-dug dirt, bringing her hand away to stare at it.

"He's gone…" she whispered.

"Human," Sesshoumaru said. "It is late. I have done what you requested, now let us leave."

Kagome turned her head to look at him. "Sesshoumaru? I just thought of something…"

Sesshoumaru did not know where she was going with this. Why was she talking to him like he was her friend? It made no difference to him, but he listened.

"I'm never going to see my family again. They are back there," she looked through the trees to see the well. "Waiting and I'll never see them." Her voice cracked from strained tears.

The taiyoukai just stared at her. "Let's go." He turned his back, but did not begin to move forward. "I would allow you to go to your time, but I do not know how the well would react, the jewel being whole again. The well might let you through, but I can't let you. My brother… _half-_brother, left me with the reassurance of a promise that I would protect you."

Kagome stood from the position on her knees and brushed herself off. "I know."

He turned to see her, wearing a smile.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Why are you smiling?" He didn't believe there was a reason for her to be smiling, but then again, what did he know about smiling?

She shook her head. "It makes me happy to know that he wanted you to take care of me. But I would be less of a burden-"

Sesshoumaru's attention was off in the trees now. He stared upwards, at what seemed to be nothing.

'_He's not even listening. He's worse than InuYasha was… I guess it runs in the family.' _She thought dejectedly, and then heaved a sigh. '_I wonder if his father was this way…'_

"Let's return." He said.

She nodded and followed. "I haven't seen Ritsu around…" she said quietly as they traveled onward.

"I dismissed her of her duties."

"You dismissed her?"

He nodded and kept his silence.

"Do you mean you just made her leave? Or…"

"She was thoroughly punished and will not be returning here."

Kagome stopped walking and let him precede a few steps before speaking. "You didn't… kill her… did you?"

He turned to look at her. "Does it matter?"

"Why would you do a thing like that?"

"She's not dead, so let's stop this discussion." With a deft gesture of his hand, he continued in front of her.

Kagome eyed his back, and then spoke again, catching up to him to walk by his side. "Sesshoumaru?"

"Hmn?"

"I was wondering… how did you…" she suddenly was afraid to finish the question.

"What?" He snapped.

"Your arm… how did you get it back?"

He looked down at the said arm. "After a certain period of time, a dismembered limb, or whatnot, grows back on a youkai."

"It grew back?!" She said with astonishment. If she hand not seen the youkai markings on his wrists, she would have thought he had taken an arm from another demon again.

He sent her a sideways glance. He did not understand why it was so amazing his arm grew back. All demons did it. But then again, she was only human.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author Note: **I know this chapter just sorta snaps in a whole different direction… so yeah… Forgive the abrupt transition. Merh! I'm getting so bad at this! I'm sorry if it ends up sucking ;.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

**Chapter Three**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome found Sesshoumaru walking down the hall and stopped him, looking down at the floor.

Sesshoumaru scented the air and could tell that she had been weeping not too long ago. But he also smelled that the ningen had recently entered her more… emotional state of the month, so to speak.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" She asked quietly.

His answer was just a barely noticeable nod of the head.

"Would you… umm… allow me to go back to my time? For only half a day?"

Now that she was closer he noticed that she did not merely smell of faint tears, she was drenched in the scent of tears. He had heard her the previous night wailing in her room about her family and her time, and InuYasha. And now he was flat-out glaring at her. "Why would I allow you to do such a ridiculous thing?"

"I need…" '_Like hell I'm telling him I need to go back because I'm on my period and I'm not prepared here!'_ "I need to get some… things. And I need to see my family, at least one more time." She shifted her gaze to the side, her cheeks tinted pink.

"What is it exactly that you need other than visiting your family?"

The table flipped and embarrassment changed to anger. "Just let me go back, please?!" She stomped her foot on the ground.

Her impatience destroyed the normally peaceful and calming aura she normally projected.

"I suppose you may leave…"

She gave a relieved sight and smiled, before he finished. "Thank you Sess-"

"But I must accompany you."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "But you- you can't go with -"

"Why not? If I am not able to go then what you need must not be of great importance. Besides, don't you want to see your family?" He asked tantalizingly.

She opened her mouth and closed it. She could live without her supplies, but most of all she needed to see her family again. To tell her mom, and everyone else, that she was alright. "Fine." she mumbled.

He had stood without her noticing and when she looked up he was standing not more than a few inches from her. She gasped a took a step back. He took her by the wrist and pulled her to his chest, her cheek pressed against his cool armor. The air around their feet swirled and rose up, rustling their clothing as Sesshoumaru rose off the ground.

Kagome gave a shrill scream in his ear and held onto him for dear life, not aware of how awkward she was making _him _feel by holding him so tightly. "I'm gonna die!"

Sesshoumaru growled and pricked his claws into the skin of her back. "Silence, you are not going to die."

Sesshoumaru had flown them to the well and when he touched down, Kagome scrambled away from him, her face considerably paled.

'_Why would she be so frightened if she has ridden the hanyou's back so many times?' _He thought to himself, staring at the well.

Kagome finally got her nerve back and reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out the sacred jewel. She kissed its surface and prayed that it let them back through the well. She propped herself up on the wells edge and readied to leap when she remembered that Sesshoumaru was coming along for the ride.

"Here," she held out her hand. "It might not work it you're not touching the jewel." Sesshoumaru grasped the offered hand and felt the tiny orb in her palm. She was surprised when the hand that took hers was not cold like she expected, but warm, warmer than anyone who could be such a jerk should be. "Let's go." She pushed off and dragged him with her.

Kagome was not just afraid that she would not get back to her time, she was afraid that it would not work the other way around. When they touched ground, the normally graceful and elegant Taiyoukai nearly lost his footing and stumbled, while Kagome took it perfectly.

She giggled at his clumsiness and motioned to the rope ladder that had been hung so that she could climb in and out. She began climbing while Sesshoumaru simply leapt out.

'_Note to self: Don't climb ladders while wearing a kimono. It doesn't work so well!'_ she mentally noted to herself.

When Kagome opened the doors that lead out of the well house morning light streamed in. Sesshoumaru looked around at the oddness of her era. Large metal buildings littered the skylines and the air smelled horrible to his heightened youkai senses.

He stayed where he was as Kagome walked forward. She noticed he was not behind and looked back. "You can't just stand out in the open like that, come on."

He followed her into her house as she took her shoes off and ran into a different room. "Mom?" She yelled.

"Kagome, is that you?" Her mother yelled back. Her mom appeared and hugged Kagome. "You were gone a little longer than I thought you'd be, honey."

Kagome wiped tears out of her eyes, pretending she had been able to come back all along. "I know, mom, I'm sorry."

Her mother spied Sesshoumaru standing in the kitchen, studying the images on the refrigerator intently. "That's not InuYasha, is it?" She asked.

Sesshoumaru gave a growl at being mistaken for his half brother. "I am not that filthy hanyou and don't ever mistake me for him again, wench."

Kagome whipped around from her mother's embrace. "Sesshoumaru! How dare you speak like that to my mother?!" Kagome spat and came to stand in front of him, staring him in the eye, which turned out to be more difficult, being so much shorter than he.

Sesshoumaru's lips thinned past his fangs and as a baritone growl flowed from his being. "You dare to speak to _me_ in such a manner?"

Normally Kagome would have backed down, but she was in her house and her time, so dammit, _she_ was in charge for now. "Sesshomaru, do _not _speak to my family like that again, or I'm gonna push your ass down the well so you can't come back!" She hissed.

"Oh my…" Her mother said softly. "Kagome, how did this young man get through the well, too?"

Kagome turned back to her mother with a nervous laugh. "It's a long story…"

"Oh! Before I forget, I made InuYasha's favorite lunch! Be sure to take it back with you, alright?"

Her anger suddenly forgotten, Kagome spoke silently. "Mom, InuYasha was killed."

Her mother gasped and rushed to her child, pulling her into an embrace. "Oh, darling, I had no idea." She smoothed Kagome's hair back as she let out a sob.

"Mom…" Kagome cried.

Sesshoumaru watched their displays of affection and comfort with curiosity until he felt a tugging at his pant leg.

A young boy with the same raven tresses as Kagome stood with a smile on his face. "Hey, who are you?"

Sesshoumaru stared the child in the eyes challengingly. "Little whelp, I suggest you don't touch me." The child had to have been the same age as Rin.

"You look like my sisters friend the dog-boy." He grinned.

'_So it's her brother?' _

Sesshoumaru knelt down so that he was closer to the child's height. "Child, do not say that to me."

Sota reached up and tugged at the Demon Lords pointed ears. Sesshoumaru groaned but decided that it might not be a wise decision to slash Kagome's brother to pieces with his claws.

Kagome turned to see the two interacting and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Sota… don't touch him, please…" she whimpered. It was like her telling him not to touch an unfamiliar dog; it might bite.

Sota looked up at his older sibling and obeyed, removing his hand from Sesshoumaru's ears. Sesshoumaru stood up, grateful that the young boy was not tempting his patience.

"I'll be upstairs, Sesshoumaru. I need to shower and get my things ready." She said, and then running up the stairs.

Kagome's mom was at a loss of what to talk about with the demon lord, so just told him to make himself comfortable and ask if he needed anything. Sesshoumaru glanced around the room and noticed the child sitting on a large cushioned object with something in his hand. The child was staring at a box with moving pictures on it. Sesshoumaru sat next to him and watched the images on the box move. After a moment he recognized the images to be people engaged in combat.

Sota looked back at Sesshoumaru and handed him the video game controller. "Do you want to play?" he asked.

"I do not 'play'". Sesshoumaru scowled.

"No, just hold this and press the buttons." Sota pushed the controller at him encouragingly.

Sesshoumaru took the object, although he did not like being told what to do.

Kagome stepped out of the shower and toweled herself off, then wrapping the towel around her body; she looked in the mirror and found a sad face staring back at her. She shook her head and looked in the mirror again, this time wearing a fake smile. She realized how noticeable it was so decided not to try. Staring in the mirror, wearing that expression, she realized she did resemble Kikyou more than she thought. That reminded her that Kikyou was still alive and wandering the earth. Should she tell her that InuYasha was dead? Kikyou would probably blame her for it, but she knew that if she could, it would be the right thing to do. Now that InuYasha was gone, and Naraku was dead, Kikyou could be put to rest at last. Then she could be with InuYasha in death, like she had wanted…

She was stirred from her thoughts when she heard a loud crash downstairs. She went to investigate and when she arrived, she found Sota hiding behind the couch and Sesshoumaru with his hand pointed toward the T.V… or what _was _the T.V. He had destroyed it, seemingly with his poison talons.

This box had infuriated Sesshoumaru. The young brat would not stop yelling at him to press a certain color button, which angered him even further. He regained his composure and tucked his arm back in the sleeve of his haori.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome yelled, running to her brother. "Sota, are you alright?" She asked, brushing his hair back with her fingers.

Sota was pale beyond comparison, staring at the demon lord, but finally found his voice. "You killed the T.V.!" He shouted, his finger pointed at the tall demon.

"Sesshoumaru, why would you do a thing like that?" Kagome blurted.

Sesshoumaru looked to her, his face as expressionless as ever. "I do not know what this 'T.V.' is of yours, but it is of no importance to me."

"Sesshoumaru, I'm going to ask you to sit in my room and be a good little dog while I get ready." Kagome said through clenched teeth, trying not to yell in front of her brother. She stood up and pointed to the stairs. "Come on," she said. Sesshoumaru eyed her then the stairs, but gracefully took them up. She pushed him into her bedroom and sat him on the bed.

"Stay here, I'll be back in a moment." She said, then turned tail and went to the bathroom again.

It was obvious that this room was hers, her scent, even if a little weak from her absence, was everywhere. He ran his hand over the soft fabric of her bubblegum-pink bedspread. Across from him was a desk with papers littered on the top and writing utensils. He stood and went to the desk, sliding open a drawer and pulling out a small booklet. He opened and found that its' contents were like the images on the refrigerator, with a glossy surface. There was an image of Kagome, wearing her revealing uniform, along with three other females, clad in the same. Kagome was smiling. He had not seen an honest smile on her face since the demise of his hanyou brother. '_Half-brother,'_ he reminded himself. He flipped through the images and found one of her and InuYasha, making odd faces, as though they were in argument. The last picture of them together you could only see their feet in the air. Sesshoumaru sighed and flipped to the next page. It was a picture of her brother Sota, then the next was one of her wearing a very formal dress with her hair done up and light make up gracing her face. He stared at the picture as though it were not Kagome in it at all.

Kagome entered the room, wearing a blue skirt and a light purple blouse and black nylons. "Hey, what are you doing?!" She dashed across the room and snatched the photo album away from him. "You shouldn't just go through peoples things without asking, you know." She looked down at the booklet and flipped its pages, landing on a photo-strip of her and InuYasha.

She remembered when the photos were taken; it was while they were arguing. She smiled at the memory, which brought many more in its place. She closed it, on the brink of tears, and set it on the desk. She looked and saw her bag lying in the corner and retrieved it, stuffing clothing and whatnot into it. She was not even sure if they'd be able to get back or not, but she'd be prepared if they could.

Sesshoumaru watched as she completed her tasks in silence. He took the booklet with the images in it and flipped through the pages again until he found the photo of her in the dress and slid it out and hid it in his haori. She turned just as he set the photo album down and raised an eyebrow to his intentions. She decided to ignore it.

"I'll be right back again," she took the back pack with her to the bathroom and loaded her necessities and then tied the bag closed. She stepped back into the room to find Sesshoumaru waiting rather, and surprisingly, patiently on the bed. "Okay, we can get going now." She said solemnly and she dragged her feet along to the stairs and descended, Sesshoumaru a few steps behind her. She came to the bottom of the stairs and found her mother and Sota helping pick up the remains of the television.

"Mama," Kagome began, "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Her mother looked back over her shoulder from Sesshoumaru to Kagome. "It's alright. This guest is just a little bit more destructive than InuYasha was, that's all."

Sesshoumaru let that though roll in his mind for a moment before noticing that Kagome had gone to the door they had entered in and was slipping her shoes on.

"Mom, I love you," she said. Her mother came to bid her farewell, and could tell by her voice that Kagome was unsure of something.

"You'll come home soon, won't you?" Her mother asked, approaching Kagome.

That caught Kagome's attention and she let a barely audible gasp from her mouth. "Uh, I will, mom." She smiled and leaned forward to hug her mother. "I love you," she said again.

Her mother tightened her arms around her only daughter, now at the ripe age of eighteen, the girl who had grown so quickly before her eyes. "I love you too, Kagome."

Kagome pulled back and did not look her mother in the eye again, but left to go to the well. Kagome latched her hands onto the short hem of her skirt until her knuckles turned white. '_I hope we can get back through,'_ she thought, chewing on her lower lip nervously. '_The last thing I need is a full-blooded youkai in modern Tokyo who has no manners and would kill every human on the spot.'_

When they came to the well Kagome struggled to get the jewel out of the pocket of her skirt, and then held her hand out to Sesshoumaru, who took it.

Her fingers felt cold to him, but he did not give it a second thought as they both leapt over the lip of the well, into what they hoped would lead them to the past.

**Author Note: **Hmm, poor T.V. I liked writing this one, though, even if I'm not the best writer. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter Four

**Author Note: **Ah! This one took a little longer to write, but I'm fairly satisfied with it . Now, now, now…. Thanks to all who read this and send reviews, I couldn't have continued this without you (don't I make it sound like an award ceremony or something? ) But yes, thanks a million, and here's the fourth chapter.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

**Chapter Four**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome felt her heart lift when the sensation of air and magic swirling around her came from the wells depths. She knew now that she could go home whenever she wanted, as long as she had the jewel with her.

Sesshoumaru watched in amusement as a smile alighted the young miko's face, as well as a soft laughter. He almost felt his lips twitch into a smile, but refrained from the action. This time when they met the ground, Sesshoumaru kept his footing, and of course, so did Kagome.

Kagome looked up through the gaping mouth of the well and saw that it was already night, the sky littered with stars. "I guess it gets later here than it does in my time," she said quietly, to no one in particular.

Sesshoumaru didn't pay attention and leapt up, leaving her to climb the vines that had grown to the shape of the woodwork and stonework of the well. As she lifted her leg over the side of the well, she readied the next and found that her ankle had become tangled in a vine, causing her to fall to the side, tearing her ankle free. She sat up, a little embarrassed, but stood. "It's getting really cold here," she shivered, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Perhaps you should have acquired warmer clothing," Sesshoumaru said, silently noting her short skirt.

"Yeah," she agreed, feeling foolish for not even expecting the weather when she had known it was cold and getting colder. "Maybe we can go to a nearby village and get something for me later…"

"If it stops your complaining…"

"I haven't been complaining!" She chirped.

"Ever so slightly, yes. And its already giving me a headache." He rubbed his temples just to annoy her, and almost smiled when he succeeded.

Kagome groaned and stamped her foot on the ground. "Well let's go now then so I don't give you a migraine." She began walking off in some random direction, her steps heated with anger until she heard the demon call out.

"You are going the wrong way, miko."

Kagome stopped in her tracks and turned around. "I know…" she lied, and began walking the way he pointed. He could already tell that his duty watching over her would be very tiresome.

When they came to the village Kagome could had sworn her legs would fall off from the cold. She held her hands in her sleeves and tried to adjust her nylons so that they were warmer, but that wouldn't happen. They were greeted by the headman of the village, who seemed very glad to have visitors. He paid Sesshoumaru a nervous glance before taking comfort that he was with a human, and thus would probably not harm them.

Probably.

The headman, whose name was HajI, led them to a hut and assisted Kagome in finding a suitable garment. Sesshoumaru opted to stay outside the hut and wait. A few of the village girls had passed and gawked at him, remarking about his unusual features and then giggling to each other. He ignored them and focused on the activity taking place at another hut close by.

Two village men were carrying a man by the arms and legs, dripping blood along the way. The scent of the blood stung the Taiyoukai's nose with familiarity, but not enough so to recognize it right away.

"Who is this man?" One villager asked.

"I don't know, we just found him lying in the forest. His wounds are really deep." He said. "I'm surprised he's alive."

The sound of the straw door next to him stirred Sesshoumaru of his thoughts as Kagome walked out, wearing the traditional attire of a priestess. Kagome tugged at the sleeves as though she were uncomfortable, but looked up to find him staring at her.

"What?"

Sesshoumaru blinked and looked away. It was almost frightening how similar she looked to the priestess that had bound his brother 50 years ago to the sacred tree.

After the moments of silence, he finally replied. "Nothing. Are you warmer now?"

Kagome nodded happily. "Very much."

"Excuse me," someone called. Kagome looked up to see a man running toward them. "Are you a priestess?"

Kagome chuckled a little nervously. "Sort of…" Amazing how quickly she was noticed with a change of clothing.

"Could you please assist us? We have some one who is injured."

"Don't you have a village priestess, though?"

The man shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid she met her demise not long ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"Will you please help us?"

Kagome looked back up to Sesshoumaru. She was with him after all, so it was on his time. He gave a brief nod. "Yes," she answered the village man, and followed him to a small hut. He held the straw door open for her and her youkai companion and they were met by the warmth of blazing fire. A man lay on a mat, a long gash on his pale chest. His long obsidian hair was spread around him like a fan. He moved in his state of unconsciousness as though he were in pain.

Kagome knelt down next to him and swept his bangs off his forehead. "He had a fever, too. Would you please find me some herbs, sir?" She turned to one of the village man.

"Yes, miko-sama," and he rushed out of the cabin.

Kagome shivered at the _sama _suffix placed at the end of the word. She didn't deserve to be called that, but then forced the thoughts to the back of her brain for now and studied the man before her.

He tightened his face then, rather slowly, opened his eyes.

"You're awake," Kagome stated.

The man groaned and blinked his auburn eyes once, then tried to sit up, but did not succeed as well as he had hoped, and resided in resting his head back on the pillow.

"Have…" Kagome began, but wondered if questioning him would strain his thought after going through so much. "Have I met you before?" She asked.

The man studied her and shook his head. "I have never seen you before, Miko-sama." Kagome twitched again.

"Kagome is fine." She said to him, rather not wishing to go into detail of how she hated being addressed with the 'sama'.

Sesshoumaru stood at the far wall, his arms tucked into his sleeves stiffly and stared off as though it were such a burden to be there. Something stirred his thoughts and he looked down to see the injured man staring at him.

"Oh," Kagome began, nearly forgetting Sesshoumaru was there, other than the presence of his youki floating around him. "This is Sesshoumaru-sama. He is a youkai, but he won't harm you." She shot him a look, making sure he would confirm her statement.

Sesshoumaru let out a breath. "Not if I don't have to."

Kagome felt herself well up with anger at his inconsiderateness, but turned to see the man struggling to sit up again, this time succeeding

"Please don't exert yourself too much," Kagome requested, reaching for a moist cloth near by and wiping the edges of the mans wounds. "Your wounds will begin bleeding again."

The man nodded and allowed her to continue. Suddenly the door opened and the man that had requested for Kagome's help came in carrying a basket with a pile of herbs in it. "I'm sorry if I didn't get the ones you needed, but these were all I could find in the dark," Kagome assured him that it was alright and was able to make a salve to put on the gashes. After binding the wound Kagome and Sesshoumaru took there leave, with a promise to come back and check on him in a few days.

As they left the village, and it's warmth, behind, Kagome kept her modern clothes held in a bundle close to her chest.

"Do you have the jewel?" Sesshoumaru cut through the silence.

Kagome was about to ask why he was worried, but checked herself for the item, and sure enough, it was their. "Yeah," she said. "Why?"

Sesshoumaru did not elaborate and continued walking onward.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

Silence.

"Sesshoumaru…?" She dropped the honorable suffix to get his attention.

He finally answered, and not without the shortage of annoyance to his tone. "What?"

"Why'd you ask if I had the jewel? You don't trust me?" She felt herself get just a little angry at the thought. She had kept the jewel shards safe before, and she could watch the whole jewel just fine. What a jerk for not believing her.

"It's not that you cannot keep watch well of it," '_not that I really think you can…_' "but that man you tended to seemed suspicious. That is all." His long silver hair curled around him in the wind, almost glowing in the moonlight, making him look more unreal than he did in the daytime. Kagome sometimes wondered if he was truly a youkai or something more.

"Right," she said, not believing him for a second, attempting to shake the thoughts of him and his well-kept hair out of her head. That man she had helped seemed completely normal, if not a little familiar, but nothing doubtful about him.

Sesshoumaru sent her a sideways glare. "You do not believe me?" He asked, as though the prospect of him lying were completely ludicrous.

"I don't _trust _you, but I don't believe you at the same time." She said, hoping she made enough sense to him and his lack of modern-day tongue.

Sesshoumaru barely understood some of the things that she ever spoke about, but assumed she meant that she had not known him enough to have faith in him. "I suppose you are entitled to it." He said nonchalantly.

Kagome was surprised he did not get angry with her for not trusting him. She supposed she should, though, because he was providing protection for her in the feudal era, and all.

She fingered the jewel in her hand. Perhaps she should make it into a necklace so it would be easier to carry. Yes, that is what she would do when they returned to the castle. And Sesshoumaru would just disappear and do what ever a Taiyoukai did in their spare time.

Kagome was roused to from her sleep by a hand shaking her shoulder. She swatted it away and buried herself deeper under the covers, trying to pretend she _was _warm, she was at _home_, and some rude youkai _wasn't _trying to wake her.

Whoever was on a mission to wake her ripped the covers off her and she shot up. "It's cold…" her eyes slid to Sesshoumaru, standing with the blanket in an angry clawed hand. "-can I have my blanket back?" She growled.

Sesshoumaru dropped the blanket at his feet and kicked it to the side. "You have been sleeping for a very long period of time. Wake up."

Kagome suddenly flared to life and realized how cold it _really_ was. She shivered and reached for the blanket and pulled it around her shoulders. "I'm cold, and I'm tired, Sesshoumaru-_sama_," she spat.

"Get up."

She groaned and he snarled. "If I'm so annoying why don't you just let me stay home?!"

He thought to say 'this is your home, now', but decided against it. He turned his back and left her room.

"What a weirdo," she said to herself, and heard the demon lord's faded voice from down the hall.

"I heard that,"

Kagome groaned again and stood up, letting the blanket that draped her shoulders fall to the floor and pool around her ankles and she shook her tangled hair over her shoulders, the jewel on her neck bouncing slightly with the movement. The Shikon No Tama was now attached to a thinly braided rope and tied safely around her neck, resting just above where her haori came together leaving a v-shaped area skin exposed below her collarbone. It did make it easier to keep track of, rather than waking and searching the room like a mad woman for it.

She slid the rice-paper door of her room open and peered out into the hallway. His castle seemed too empty for someone like him. She expected that he had more servants than just Ritsu, and she was gone now. She suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Rin or Jaken with him. She walked down the hallway, praying she wouldn't get lost, trying to follow the aura of Sesshoumaru's youki to guide her to him. Her path led her outside and found him standing in a clearing that _had _been a grove of trees, but now they were sadly dismantled and cut down to melted stumps with shreds of bark littering the grassy carpet.

Sesshoumaru whipped around in an elegant circle, whipping his right hand out and releasing a ribbon of poison at the targeted oak tree. With a satisfying sizzling sound of acid on wood, the tree fell back and smashed to the ground. He turned quickly and deftly on his heel and threw his left arm out and paid the same respect to an innocent maple tree. His poison went through the tree with a hiss and it also fell to the ground. Sesshoumaru, now satisfied in destroying a completely unsuspecting group of trees, he brushed the fragments off his shoulders and tucked his arms into his sleeves. Kagome stood staring at him on the steps leading up to the castle and he looked back as though he had merely trimmed the overly-grown hedges in the front yard.

"Wha-" Kagome stammered out.

"You're finally up." Sesshoumaru said, stepping around the trunk of one tree and observing the satisfactory damage he had inflicted upon it.

The young miko sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. The demon lord should _not_ have given her a headache this early in the morning. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she began. "We need to go back to the village and see that man and if he's doing alright. You can destroy the forest later." At least in this time there _were_ trees to destroy. She felt kind of bad about giving him the go to obliterate it all, but who was Sesshoumaru to listen if she told him no?

"So…" she said.

Sesshoumaru stepped up onto one of the fallen trees and began walking off toward where the village was, not bothering to tell her to follow or stay.

She ran after him, but not before grabbing her bow and quiver first, and caught up with him. Their feet cut into the iced blades of grass beneath them, crunching as they went. It was going to snow soon, and Kagome wasn't looking forward to staying in a land without indoor heating and whatnot. A brilliant idea struck her as she stepped over a fallen branch; she could just bring an electric blanket! No, that wouldn't due… no electricity. '_Damn!'_ She cursed to herself.

Sesshoumaru watched in mild, masked amusement, as the miko next to him argued with herself in her brain, moving her pinkened lips ever-so-slightly as though to speak to herself so even his demon ears would not be able to hear her. She suddenly looked bright and happy, then that moment passed and she looked upset again.

By time they came to the village a fog had settled over the land, obscuring most things from view. Kagome shifted awkwardly as they stood still, not communicating… like normal. She was used to a rude remark at _least_, when InuYasha was with her. Things were never calm or quiet with him around. Now it was as though the universe was making up for that lost silence by giving it back tenfold. Kagome was going to go insane.

An emotion rolled off Kagome that Sesshoumaru couldn't quite decipher. "Go ahead." He said.

"What… alone?!"

Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod. He didn't have to explain to a human. He didn't want to be stuck in the stifling scent of _more _humans while waiting for her to get done with whatever she had to do.

"But what if something happens?!" Kagome had witnessed plenty of perverted villagers from her days traveling before, and knew by being alone, she'd be an easy target.

"I will smell or hear if you are in any distress. Go." he waved her away, but she stood where she was for a moment.

'_Yeah, I can do this!'_ She thought to herself, and began towards the near village. '_I just need to visit him, say bye, and leave. No biggie. Go me!'_ Her toe caught on a rock and she tripped and fell on her face. Sesshoumaru sighed and turned to walk the opposite direction of the village.

Kagome picked herself up off the ground and brushed the dirt from her haori. '_Note to self: White clothes + dirt bad.'_ She was in the village now and found the headman carrying a bucket of water to his hut.

"Excuse me," Kagome called to him.

HajI turned and smiled. "Just a moment, Miko-sama!" Kagome twitched and waited for him to come to her. "Greetings. To what do we owe this visit?"

"I'm here to check on the injured man that I assisted," she said, feigning a smile.

"Got a thing for him?" The man nudged her with his elbow and winked.

"Er… I'm just doing my job," she chuckled softly. '_Got a thing for him! Yeah right.'_

Haji laughed. "Just kidding. I'll go see if he's up."

Kagome waited outside the designated hut as HajI when in. "Yeah," he called. Kagome pulled the straw door over herself and entered the room. The man she had attended was sitting up and wearing a light blue-green haori, left open. Kagome smiled and sat down seiza-style.

"Hello, sir, have you been well?" She asked warmly and kindly.

He barely nodded. "Yes Miko-" he stopped. "Kagome," he corrected. Kagome was surprised he even remembered that much from the other night in his state of distress.

"Let me see your wounds," she said, and shyly pulled his haori open more to her to see that the gash had healed magnificently well for only a day or two's passing. Her eyes widened a little and he must have noticed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just…" she swallowed once. "Your wound has healed excellently."

He smiled at her. "Maybe it was just your care that assisted me in healing this well."

Kagome fought the urge to blush. "I only treated you once before this. It couldn't have been me." She turned to HajI. "Have you or any of the other villages done anything else to him?"

HajI shook his head. "No, Miko-sama,"

_Twitch._

"We did just as you instructed."

"Oh…" she laughed a little. '_I didn't know I was that good with medicines,'_

"That jewel…" the injured man said, reaching for her neck.

Kagome backed a little away and clasped the orb in her hand. "Yes, what about it?"

"You weren't wearing it the last time I saw you…"

"I…" Kagome looked down at the jewel as it emitted a dimmed dark purple light. '_It's reacting to something…' _"No, I wasn't."

They sat and stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, then HajI grew tired of the stagnant silence and left the hut.

"I really should be going now." Kagome stood and brushed stretched her legs a bit. "Your wounds are fine and you can be on your feet by tonight." She bowed respectfully and turned to leave when a hand clasped around her wrist.

"Excuse me, sir, but I need to-" she felt a sharp blow to the side of her head and she lost her vision and consciousness.

His hand lightly traced the hilt of the Tetsusaiga at his hip. Sesshoumaru had previously left it at the castle, but had gained enough confidence to take it with him now, although it seemed a tad ridiculous to take three swords with him. '_She is taking a long time…'_ he thought suddenly, and rather impatiently, for being Sesshoumaru, and all.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru clenched his fangs together at the grinding voice. His gaze shifted slowly down to the base of the tree and saw the small demon Jaken standing a waving up at him while holding the reigns of the dragon Aun. Rin was grinning up at him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken yelled again. "We have been searching everywhere for you, master!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and refrained from rolling his eyes and swiftly leapt down from the tree, barely avoiding landing on Jaken; although that would not have been so bad if he _did_ land on him.

Rin left her mount on the dragon and ran to Sesshoumaru and threw her arms around his waist. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" She chirped gleefully.

Sesshoumaru paid no heed to the embrace. Rin seemed to get bigger and bigger everyday. One day she had been no higher than his knee, it seemed, and now she was nearly up to his chest. She looked up at him with sparkling hazel eyes and smiled before unlatching herself from his person.

Jaken tugged at the reigns he was holding. "Where have you been?!" He shouted, directed at Sesshoumaru. The Demon lord's eyes fell on him in a searing heat and Jaken quickly realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, milord!" He dropped to his hands and knees in an instant, showing his deep respect, though he constantly questioned why he stayed with such a demon in the first place.

Sesshoumaru scented the air and gripped one of his swords tightly. "I smell blood…"

**Author Note: **Hehe! Fun fun! I'm getting a little better at making my chapters longer, but I know my story is probably getting pointless and confusing at this point ;. Fifth one should be done in a few days or less, so yeah. I'm trying to make sure they are all free of errors, but if I miss anything just tell me! Love you all:3


	6. Chapter Five

**Author Note: **I didn't even try too hard on this. No joke. I'm getting worse and worse. I really would like to thank all who have been so kind and reviewed, it helps! Thank you!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

Chapter Five

A sharp kick in the side is was she woke up to.

"Wakey, wakey," someone called.

Kagome clenched her eyes and prevented herself from gasping due to the pain. She pushed herself up on her elbows and coughed as she was kicked in the side again, saliva dripping down her chin messily.

Someone crouched down in front of her and for a moment, with the slivery white hair, she maybe she had died and InuYasha was sitting with her. Kagome's vision fuzzed a little and then focused again and the person in front of her was wearing a mask.

"Oh good!" The person said, almost delightfully, and now that Kagome was conscious enough to listen properly, she knew it was a female. "You _are_ awake,"

The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder and delicately pulled the mask off. Kagome recognized her instantly, and her face must have shown it.

"You remember me?" Ritsu then patted Kagome's head, with a little added force. Kagome grinded her teeth together, trying to ease her oncoming headache.

"What happened?" Kagome moaned upon discovering that her legs were very sore and did not want to work at the moment.

"Well, you were hit upside the head and now you're here." Ritsu's eyes shifted to her and her hand snaked out of no where and she held Kagome's face, turning her as though she had changed in some odd way. "What hold do you have on my master? From what I can see you look to be nothing more than a ningen."

Kagome swatted her hand away. "I don't have a _hold_ on him. Go talk to him yourself." She spat.

Ritsu considered her words and stood, and Kagome feared she would kick her again. "See the man in the corner," she pointed to the far corner in the room.

Sure enough, a man sat, shadowed, his eyes locked on the young miko. Kagome gulped and nodded. "He's the man I helped from the village…"

"Good girl!" Ritsu laughed mockingly. "If you misbehave, he'll hurt you. Understand?"

Kagome opened her mouth to speak and then clamped it shut, nodding silently. Ritsu stood and left without another word.

'_Dumb little…'_ Kagome began thinking, but then noticed the man across the room stir and unfold into a standing position. Boldly, Kagome sat up and looked at the man. "Who are you, really?"

He laughed, perplexing Kagome a little. There was nothing funny that she could see. '_I bet he's a lunatic or something…' _

"You do not know yet?"

Kagome looked around the room as though there should have been a clue to his identity. "I said you looked familiar once…"

He cocked his head to the side and smiled. "Kikyou's reincarnation, aren't you?" He asked.

"Who _are _you?" She demanded, quickly scouring the room for a weapon of any kind.

"Well surely if a powerful being like Priestess Kikyou could be reincarnated, than a being like Naraku could be reincarnated as well, don't you think?"

Just as Kagome stood the wind was knocked from her stomach and she found herself pressed painfully against a wall. Naraku's reincarnation had his hand gripping her throat and the other bracketing her arm to the wall. His hot breath ghosted across her ear and down her neck. "Let's play nice," he whispered into her skin.

Sesshoumaru leapt forward onto another branch, scenting the air, and found Kagome's scent quickly fading. He stopped where he was and thought about his actions. The bark of the tall pine was rough on his hands, and leaving remnants of sap on his fingertips. He uncharacteristically tried to wipe the goo off on his pant leg, which only helped to make that sticky, too.

He had made no obligation to protect her, so why was he going? He was about to delve further into though when a wave of a familiar scent hit him. His gaze traveled down to the base of the tree and he spied a young white-hair demon standing, looking up at him.

"Master!" She called, her voice sounding like a sob.

Sesshoumaru sighed and gracefully leapt down from the tree, of which he had been perched quite highly in. Ritsu stood in front of him and fell forward to embrace him, and succeeded only halfway in her goal when the demon lords hand snaked out and took her roughly by the throat. Her cheeks were tear stained and she was dirty and bloody, but not with her own blood.

"Mas…ter…" she choked, gripping his wrist and trying to pry herself free. She watched in horror as the markings on his wrists began to become slightly more jagged than normal, as well as the once on his cheeks.

He tensed his hand once and she knew not to fight him. She let her arms fall to her sides limply and stared weakly at him.

"Why has Kagome's blood stained your kimono?" He asked calmly, masking the rage awakening deep within him.

She swallowed thickly and he loosened his grip enough for her to speak. "She… attacked me…" she began. "I had to defend myself…"

Sesshoumaru laughed. Not a rich laughter, but short and curt. "You expect me to believe that she attacked you? For what reason would she give? And you," he narrowed his eyes, his gaze pinning her. "Why would you need to _defend_ yourself from a human? Surely she could not have been more powerful than my faithful servant, now, could she?" With a movement quicker than lightening, he had thrown her against a tree.

She screamed as she took the impact of the blow, the bark of the tree digging roughly into the flesh of her back. She groaned and pushed herself to sit up.

Sesshoumaru watched as she squirmed in discomfort as her plan backfired. He stayed where he was, but looked at her through reddening eyes. "Answer me… why is her blood on you?" He snarled.

Ritsu coughed, covering her mouth with her hand and taking it away, noticing a splatter of blood on her palm. She looked up at the man she had followed for so many years in disbelief.

"Master…" she gasped weakly, gaining enough strength to stand and shuffling to him. He made no attempt to move, but watched in mild curiosity to see what she would do. She cautiously put her hands on his shoulders and looked at him in the eye. "My Lord… I tired to kill her." She said, not one bit wary or regretful. If he had not known her, he would not have been able to see her lips twitch into a small smiled. "I tired to kill her because she is possessing you, My Lord. She has taken a hold of your heart… she's taking you away from me…"

Sesshoumaru let a quick breath out and stepped back. "I was never with you." He said coldly, turning and leaving her to stand there.

**Author Note: **I know, I know, shortest chapter EVER! But it's all I could think of, really. That and it's been a bit hard to write lately because I have a lot of stuff on my mind, but I'm doing my best (even if this chapter wasn't my best). I am glad that I was able to get Ritsu back in the story though. I actually forgot about her for a while, i'm not even kidding that's how much of a dope I am. But yeah, same as always, thanks for reading and reviewing and I'll try to get more up (with hopefully longer chapters)


	7. Chapter Six

**Author Note: **I just want to thank anyone who reads this, and I want to especially thank all that review. The reviews are my elixir and help me write! (I know, that sounds kinda corny) but it's true. Without the reviews this story would be in the trash right now.

It's getter a little more difficult to continue it though, I'm not gonna lie. I have a delightfully horrible habit of writing scenes that happen way further on in the story (don't ask why, I don't know) before they happen. In a way they help because I want to write up to them, but sometimes I just want to say 'forget it'. But you know, I like the scenes I wrote for later on so much, that I'm gonna try and see this story through to the end. So please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they're Rumiko Takahashi's not mine.

Chapter Six

_InuYasha blinked his eyes once at her, and then looked down at the arrow in his chest. Kagome looked down in horror as she realized she was the one who shot the arrow. She whipped the bow away and ran to the base of the tree and tried to pull the arrow out, but it would not budge. He caught her hand in his as she began to cry. _

"_Why, Kagome?" He asked her quietly. _

_Kagome just shook her head in disbelief and sobbed, "I didn't mean to! I didn't know!" He lifted her chin with his thumb to look her in the eye. His chest was unusually warm against her hands… he felt so good…_

"_Kagome," InuYasha whispered softly before claiming her lips in a soft kiss. Kagome gasped audibly against his lips and then suddenly he went limp, and when she drew back, her lips were coated in his blood. She tried to wipe if off with her hand as she felt the tears renew in her eyes, but more blood replaced what was smeared away._

_And she screamed…_

Kagome's eyes snapped open she looked around, unusually cold. A trembling hand reached up to fell her forehead and she was drenched wet. The man she had learned was Naraku's reincarnation stood with a bucket clutched in his hands, water dripping down the sides.

"Wake up," he whispered.

Kagome shook her head and squeezed her hair try, still shaky from her nightmare, though she never took her eyes off the man in front of her. "What?" She finally asked when he noticed he was staring.

He didn't answer, but his stare morphed into more of a leer.

She scooted backward until she hit the wall, pressing the soaked material of her haori further to herself. This reminded her that it was way too cold to be wet in such cold weather. '_I wonder if Sesshoumaru will save me… no, probably not,'_ she answered herself dejectedly. '_He's not the 'hero' type, is he?'_

Naraku's reincarnation dropped down to his knees before her and came closer to her.

Kagome looked around nervously. "Y-you know… Ritsu is just using you to get to S-Sesshoumaru…" she shivered, already feeling a horrible chill scamper up her spine, and not just from the cold.

The man cocked his head to the side and laughed. "Or is it _me _that it using _her? _Did you ever think of it that way?" He was only a few inches in front of her now, and she desperately hoped that maybe there was a trap door behind her and it would throw her into some strange room with a three-headed monster. Anything better than this.

"Yeah… well m-maybe you can just use each other and be happy, like the _assholes _you both are," she said through gritted teeth. With that she stood up and carefully slid her back along the wall until she was a few feet away from him.

He stood and followed.

"Stop following me…" she said a little nervously, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Why would I do that? Did Ritsu _not_ say that you were to obey me? Or else I would harm you?"

'_Good point,' _she thought to say, but would rather not have admitted he was right and she was wrong when she was backed into a corner as it was. She settled for biting down on her lip harder, almost tearing the skin.

The reincarnation came to stand in front of her once again and his hand traced the fine ivory skin of her neck, before enclosed his fingers around her jugular, threatening to tighten his hold. Kagome whimpered softly then noticed his face go rigid. She noticed now that a youkai was in the dark room with them, a familiar youki filling the space.

Sesshoumaru pressed the tip of Tetsusaiga into the flesh of the dark-haired mans neck, assure that he _would_ cut through if he so much as made a move. "Release the human…" he said.

Kagome recognized his voice instantly and bit back a relieved sob. She felt the mans fingers twitch on her neck, and then loosen reluctantly. '_Good. Kagome, now you know you were wrong. Maybe Sesshoumaru _is _the hero type. Okay, just focus on surviving right now and you can beat the crap out of yourself later.' _She slid herself against the wall away from the aggressor and hope that he would not come near her anymore.

"Sesshoumaru," he said.

Sesshoumaru's ears perked at the familiar deep voice and felt his chest go cold, eyes widening marginally. "Naraku," he let a lethal growl slip between gritted fangs.

The man twisted his head so that he was looking at the Taiyoukai. "Not quite."

Sesshoumaru, a tad perplexed, though it never showed on his well-masked face, sniffed the air. "You…" the demon lord tried to piece the little details together.

"I'm Naraku's reincarnation. But I suppose you could call me Naraku, if you wish." He suddenly ducked down and went for a blade at his hip. Sesshoumaru saw it coming and leapt back deftly, landing in a crouching position, Tetsusaiga aimed forward.

Kagome gaped at the large sword Sesshoumaru held. It looked larger than it did when in InuYasha's possession, as though it went through a greater transformation while with Sesshoumaru. She looked from one man to the other, swords both drawn and pointed.

Sesshoumaru stood perfectly still, statuesque, as he stared down his opponent.

"How sweet, the Famous Lord of the West, known for his hatred and many killing sprees of the humans, is here protecting one!" The re-birthed Naraku laughed. "What has changed you, _My Lord_?" He hissed mockingly.

Sesshoumaru's face twisted into a snarl and his hand coiled around his swords hilt tightened, claws biting into the flesh of his pale palm. He slid one foot slightly back, and readied to strike. The aura from Tetsusaiga whirled through the room, sending a warm current in every which way.

Kagome's hair lifted in the gust and she felt her cold, soaked skin become delightfully warmer, if only by a fraction.

Before Sesshoumaru built up the swords power to its full extent he saw the incarnate move quickly, and pulled Kagome in front of him, sword against her neck. "You strike me down and I take your human with me,"

Kagome felt the vibration of his words thickly against her ear and tried to writhe out of his grip.

The power that had built up to a choking state suddenly vanished, expelling from the room, though his expression clearly wrote that he wished to continue, to slay the man, to feel his blood through his claws. Red eyes, once gold, glared through the fog created by his rage as he re-sheathed his sword. Kagome's captor took her by the hair and threw her down on the floor at Sesshoumaru's feet. Sesshoumaru's eyes diverted to look at the girl not even for a second, but when he looked back up, the reborn Naraku had disappeared.

Kagome pushed herself up onto her elbows and gazed up at the demon lord who had saved her life so uncharacteristically through eyes becoming overshadowed by tears. She sniffled and got up onto her feet.

"Why did you come save me?" She wondered aloud.

Sesshoumaru stared at her blankly, wondering why she would ask such a silly question. But he found, rather oddly, that her silly question had no answer.

"Why?!" she cried.

"You are alive, does it mat-" he was cut off as the miko came forward and enveloped him in a crushing hug. She sobbed against him and buried her face into his chest, holding him for dear life. Sesshoumaru just stared down at her awkwardly, but for some reason he did not push her away.

**Author Note: **Squee!!! I know, I know, it was short. I wish I could have made this chapter longer, but I had run out of ideas and I figured that might be a nice ending to it. There will be more, don't worry. Please, please, please and please review!! It would be much appreciated.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author Note: **Hmm… my writing is getting terrible. My friend (who's NOT my friend anymore) used to tell me I was a good writer, and without her I feel like any skill I had just ran out the door. Oh well. Despite that fact that I have no confidence in my abilities, here I am, continuing. I'm kinda glad that I've gotten a little more contact between our favorite Taiyoukai and Miko, though.

Don't be surprised if there are a few mistakes in this chapter, I didn't bother to go over it very well (lazy!!) But yeah, same as always. Just read on, my friends.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha (to my dismay). They belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

**Chapter Seven**

**I'm Only Human**

Her scent was so much sweeter and livelier when she was as close as she was. He wasn't able to feel her through his armor, but her face was buried into his shoulder, her tears soaking through his haori. Suddenly his hands were on her shoulders and pushing her back from him, trying to prevent thoughts from roaming where not needed.

Foggy blue eyes batted stray tears away and she wipe of her tearstained cheeks with her delicate wrist, sniffling slightly. "I'm sorry…" she whined, voice strained from the tears. "I just… I didn't think you were going to come for me… I though I was going to die. I didn't mean…" her words faded as she looked up cautiously to see him staring at her.

Watching her cry like that, feeling her holding him like that, it made him realize how warm it made him feel. The last time he was hugged by anyone, other than Rin, was his Mother, and that had been centuries ago. He suddenly longed to hold the ningen again, to bring that familiar warmth back into his now cold, shell of a body.

"Sesshou…maru?" she asked timidly, any color that remained in her chilled, moistened cheeks flooding away. '_Okay… maybe I should ignore the impulse to latch on to homicidal Demon Lords from now on…'_

"Let's go."

She blinked and realized that she had been staring, too. She shook her head, heavy damp hair settling over her shoulders and she followed him out the door of the cabin. When the sound of footsteps ceased behind him, he turned to see the miko kneeling down and rubbing her ankle.

Kagome hissed in pain and realized that somehow her ankle had become sprained. She felt herself being pinned with a stare and looked up, putting on a fake smile. "Its fine, my ankle is just a little sore." With a little more effort than should have been necessary, she was up on her feet again and came forward, stopping behind the Taiyoukai when he still didn't move.

"You can keep going…" she said, a little confounded. Sesshoumaru dropped down to a crouch, radiant hair falling softly over his shoulders like snow. "On my back," his voice was hoarse, demanding.

Kagome took a half step back and waved her hands in front of her. "N-no, it's fine. I can walk, see?" She walked a small circle, feigning perfect health and stability.

"On my back," he repeated, punctuating the command with a low growl.

All the hairs along her arms, neck, and back stood on end at the snarl, but she stomped her good foot down on the ground and clenched fists at her sides, shoving all other emotions to the side. "It's _fine_," she said again. "Besides, I don't want trouble you…"

Kikyou absentmindedly plucked at the frost-bitten blades of grass at the base of the large tree she sat under. The day was cold and the trees were mostly naked from the coming winter's harshness. She had not done anything lately. Not because she was bored or lazy, no, those were two words that were never used to describe how she felt, but because she felt something that was tied to her had been cut. She felt like a puppet who only had half its strings and the other half of its limbs hung loosely and insignificantly.

She had not sensed InuYasha and his comrades for a long time, which didn't _worry _her, but it caught her attention. And Naraku had been gone for a long time. Perhaps he was dead? She wasn't sure if the hanyou and his friends would be able to defeat such a strong being, but maybe…

A shuffling of steps in the frosty grass stirred her thoughts and she was suddenly brought back to the real world. She quickly stood and placed her hand on her bow, reassured that it was there. She was surprised in herself that she hadn't sensed the swell of powerful youki coming nearer and nearer to her, and it was accompanied by another power. Her hand tensed on the smooth wood of the bow, and she reached back to grab the tethered end of an arrow from her quiver and pulled it over her shoulder and nocked it back.

Something came into view from behind the next nearest tree. Silver hair fell over pretty gold eyes and for a split second a barrage of images of the hanyou flashed through her mind, but she knew too well that InuYasha had no where near this powerful of youki. She knew though, from their few encounters, that it was the Taiyoukai of the Western lands; InuYasha's brother. Stranger still to her was that the young miko, her reincarnation, Kagome, was with him. Kikyou loosened her grip and lowered her aim towards the ground and narrowed her eyes at the pair.

Kagome groaned and refrained, with some amount of difficulty, _not _to take Sesshoumaru's well-kept hair in her fists and pulling on it to _show _him her frustration. She had told him that even though her ankle hurt, she did _not _need to be carried. Not to mention that it was a little awkward with the normally cold, uncaring, and insensitive lord of the West.

"_If _I could not smell your lie and your ailment, maybe I would have let you continue on foot." He had told her, not even looking over his shoulder to see how she accepted the comment.

"Excuse me!" She piped. "I never _asked_ you to carry me!" She would admit, though, it was much better than walking. She wasn't so sure how he had exactly gotten her on his back, however. Kagome had expected him to just throw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but he was nice about it, well, if _nice_ could be used to describe him. And the view wasn't so bad; she got a good look at his profile and he didn't even seem to notice.

Sesshoumaru sniffed the air and smelled that someone was up ahead. Kagome sensed it, too. Whoever it was had some spiritual powers. They passed a tree and came to see the priestess Kikyou, her bow aimed at them. Kagome gasped and tightened her legs on Sesshoumaru once then wriggled her way out of his grip so that she was standing again.

"Kiky-"

Kikyou lowered the aim of her bow. "Where is InuYasha?" she cut Kagome off as a soul collector slid silently through the air and coiled itself around Kikyou's arm, perhaps affectionately. Hard to tell with a serpentine creature, really. Kikyou's gaze drifted to the Taiyoukai. "And what are _you_ doing with _her?"_

'_Of course she would ask where he is…' _Kagome thought to herself, before feeling the panic set in that Kikyou did not know of the hanyou's demise. She nervously swallowed and began to chew on her lip, fiddling her fingers behind her back.

Sesshoumaru slid his gaze to Kagome next to him, watching as the muscles in her neck flexed and she swallowed and as she began to chew on her lip. She had broken out into a light sweat, not visibly, though. Looking from one to the other, Sesshoumaru realized that he might have, if it was possible, been wrong for once. He had thought Kagome looked very strikingly similar to the dead miko across from them, but now that he could compare the two in person, he realized that there were obvious differences.

Kagome was slightly shorter than Kikyou, for one, and Kikyou's face always had a tense look, she never seemed relaxed. Kikyou's hair was obviously much longer than Kagome's, and a different shade of black, if it were possible. Kagome had an air of innocence around her all the time, but Kikyou was always on edge and suspecting. And their eyes… they were both blue, but completely different. Kagome's eyes were deep blue tinged with grey around the edges, truly the window to her soul, but Kikyou's were a deep blue also, but somehow reflected something much colder.

Sesshoumaru was stirred from his reverie as Kikyou began to walk forward.

The older miko reached out and touched the completed Shikon No Tama around Kagome's neck. "It's complete," she said, not really a question, not really a not really a statement.

Kagome nodded. "I thought you should know… that Naraku has been killed… but he has a reincarnation. I don't know if he'll come after you or not." The words came out slightly choked from her burning throat.

Kikyou nearly gasped, and looked up to see the look on Kagome's face. Her head was hung down, as though she were ashamed of something. "And? Is that _all_ you have to tell me?"

"And InuYasha is dead."

The silence roared around them, swallowing every sound that could be made and obscured it. Kikyou blinked once, and then turned on her heel.

"Kikyou…"

"I knew he was dead," she said stoically, her undetectable lie. Sesshoumaru sensed it.

"What should I do with the jewel…?" Kagome asked, hoping the older and more experienced miko would know what to do.

"You keep it," Kikyou almost smiled to herself. '_You keep the torment and sadness that plagued me for so long. You can have a turn.'_

And Kikyou vanished into the mist with her soul collectors.

Sesshoumaru and Kagome stood next to one another in silence, staring at the space that Kikyou had wondered off into. Kagome felt strange, as though the deed she had set out to do was not completed, or not to its' fullest anyways. Maybe it was just the way that Kikyou accepted Kagome's kindness of searching for her and telling her what she needed to know that gave her that feeling of unaccomplished duty.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her.

Kagome was brought back from her thoughts when she felt his gaze and looked up at him, smiling. "Well," she let out a breath that was held in, "We're away from that reincarnation for now, and I told Kikyou what I needed to tell her." She turned and with her gleaming smile, began to walk, and then fell to one knee. "My ankle still hurts…" she groaned softly with an almost weeping chuckle at the end. Kagome looked at the grass in front of her and saw a pair of black shoes. Sesshoumaru had come to stand in front of her again and stared down at her and she looked up, not able to tell what he was thinking with his blank expression.

"Do you need me to carry you again?"

Kagome blinked in surprise. She was almost afraid to agree. She knew if it had been InuYasha who had carried her against her will in the first place and after she argued with him about _not_ needing to be carried, then when he asked she agreed, he would laugh and tell her he _wouldn't_ carry her. But this wasn't a devilishly tricky hanyou; it was a demon; the devilishly tricky hanyou's brother, no less.

"Umm…" Without warning an arm curled around her waist and she was suddenly being carried bridal-style by the handsome youkai. "I didn't agree!" She squealed.

"Your face told me all that I needed to know." he said coolly, not looking down at her to see her reaction. And they set off back towards the castle.

**Author Note: **Ah! I've never been good at ending chapters, at all. But, it might take longer to get the next chapter up, because my brain has been juiced of any ideas right now. But you know, thanks a million for reading, and please review and tell me how I'm doing, it would be much appreciated. :D


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author Note: **Yay! New chapter! You guys are all making me feel so damn great!!! I love you all! And from now on, I'm going to start replying to reviews at the beginning of each chapter to make it a bit easier (I should have done that before, but I'm a bit of a ditz sometimes 0.o)

Tsuki Tenshi: Thanks! And don't let your brother kill you!!

Alana124pyro: I'm glad you like it, and I'll try and update as quick as possible!

ChaoticReverie: Yay! claps hands I was thinking when I first started this that our Sesshy-kun was a tad too nice, but if it worked out then I'm happy! (plus I've always been just too lazy to go back and change things, haha).

Chicana: Aww! That means a lot!! And I'll keep it coming!

The Kikyo Hater: I guess my old friend was right. A few people seem to think I'm an alright writer! Thank you so much!

DevilBoxers: Aww!! I'll update as soon as possible!!!

vampiric sesshomaru gurl: Thanks a million!! (love your pen name btw!)

I tell you, after having a hectic week and then getting on the computer to see review alerts, I just perk up instantly. My family has been going a tad wacky lately and my friend is trying to get me to go to some weird perverts party, and then of course having a crush makes everything harder (especially when it's your friends ex! O.o) and it's driving me to the brink! I don't know _what_ my dad is on, but he's just freakin' out over everything, and my mom has always been a nut case. Then my sister…. Oh god… I don't know if I wanna go there, hehe.

All of that aside, though, I want to thank you all. You have made my week, each and every one of you.

You have definitely given my confidence a great boost! (trust me, it _really_ needed a booster seat XD) So just same as always, read and review, tell me how I'm doing. (P.S. Sorry about the ramble!) Ciao! (Oh yeah, it's not edited, this chapter, so ignore it if there are like a CRAZY amount of mistakes and all that crud :D)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

**Chapter Eight**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome poked a stick at the fire in front of her, which wasn't fairing well. Essentially it was just a bunch of burnt wood in a pile that wasn't even big enough to catch fire to a dried leaf.

She groaned and chucked the stick at the pathetic flames, crossing her arms over her chest poutily. "Dumb fire…" she shivered, still attired in her damp haori, which didn't do anything for the freezing weather. "It's so f-friggin' cold!" she bit down on her lip to prevent her teeth from chattering.

Sesshoumaru sat across from her on the other side of the fire, raising an eyebrow questionably. "I do not understand why you simply do not discard of your wet clothing. It would be much-"

"Pervert!" She yelped. "I already told you I'm not stripping myself in this weather!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and stuffed his hands further into the sleeves of his haori, jerking his head the other direction, almost snottily. "I am not, in any manner, being lecherous. I simply mean that you will catch cold if you are outfitted in sodden clothing."

Kagome thought it over, but still kept her answer a 'no'. She hugged herself tighter and tried to get as close to the fire without actually getting into the fire. Her gaze lifted slowly to Sesshoumaru, to find him studying his surroundings. She hadn't really looked at him before. Sure, she looked at him, she knew what he looked like, but she had never taken the time to really _observe _him before. The white of his haori and his silk hair glowed a faint orange from the light of the fire, giving him an even more surreal appeal. And his eyes… Kagome had always liked the way his eyes looked; so defiant and bright. Her eyes went to his armor, and for a moment Kagome had a vision of him without it. She caught herself and jerked her head the other way, her cheeks quickly heating up, so much that she almost didn't need to be so close to the fire anymore.

Suddenly everything went dark and Kagome almost screamed, when she realized that Sesshoumaru had thrown his outer haori at her. She pulled it off her head and looked at him questionably. "What…"

"You can change into that." And that's all he said.

Kagome clenched her fists in the soft material. '_Why are you being so nice to me?'_ She wondered as she stood and stood behind a large tree to change. '_This isn't the first time he's let me wear his haori…'_ she thought with a blush. "Of course this is under different circumstances." She muttered.

Sesshoumaru waited patiently, tossing a wimpy looking stick into the fire, hoping maybe to give it more life. '_Guess not,'_ he thought, mentally sighing to himself. He looked at the spot Kagome had been sitting in and noticed that it was almost unbearably quiet without her chatting, even if most of it was complaining.

When Kagome came back to the small clearing it had started snowing. His haori was tied messily around her waist. She plopped down in her previous spot and felt a chill run up her spine. "Eek! The ground is cold!''

Sesshoumaru didn't comment, just looked at her. '_I shouldn't be looking at her this long…' _He thought, trying to blink, but his eyes betrayed him.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome approached quietly. "Why do you think that Naraku's incarnation didn't take the jewel from me?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer at first, but merely tried to look away so she didn't notice he was staring at her. "I do not know. Maybe he is plotting something."

"Sesshoumaru?" She asked again. "What's that huge fluffy thing on your shoulder?" She, said, pointing to the said 'fluffy thing'.

Sesshoumaru just stared at the ground for a moment and let her words sink in. Really, she must have been bipolar to go from one serious topic to something so random. When he looked up she was still looking at him, head cocked to the side, waiting for an answer.

"An heirloom," he sighed, subconsciously running his claws through the soft fur, something he did quite often without even noticing.

"Why?" she squeaked.

Sesshoumaru knitted his eyebrows together. "Why what?"

"Why is it an heirloom?"

"It was my mothers."

Silence reigned the next minutes as the snow cascaded slowly to the ground. Kagome could have sworn that she stayed still enough to get a pile of snow on her head.

"Your mothers?" She said.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "That _is_ what I said, isn't it?" '_Give me a headache and I might kill you…' _he thought as he reached up to rub his temples, enjoying the following silence when…

"Sesshoumaru?"

He gave a soft growl and slowly opened his eyes. "What?" He said in his best, non-irritated voice.

"Why are we camping out?"

"My castle was too far to reach within a day. Do you know how far away you were taken?"

Kagome fidgeted with the sleeves of her new haori. "Umm… no…"

"Go to sleep now. Otherwise I'll leave you here in the morning if you don't wake up on time." He settled himself against a tree and closed his eyes.

**Author Note: **Ah!! Ideas are going extinct!!! Yeah, anywho, sorry about the REALLY short chapter. :D You know, all that stuff. Dang, I really need some ideas, haha. It could be a while before I find inspiration, just a warning. But as always, review. I love you guys!!!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author Note: **Ninth chapter! Yay me! happy dances right into a wall Yeah let's ignore that :D. But I'm just glad that I've gotten this many chapters done! I'm really bad at making decent-length stories, so this is going surprisingly well. Just again, wanna say sorry for the really short chapter before! Ah! (slams self on desk) okay… I do that when I'm hyper. It's funny, because at first I was all depressed when I started this and now I'm like, freakin' out! I should NOT be this happy when I'm listening to depressing music! (turns on techno) dance party!!! RIGHT HERE! I love having random dance parties. Just the other week I had about twelve of them, and they were all in a parking lot somewhere. :D I know, I'm SO weird, but hey, I live in a box, what do you expect!!! Okay, okay! Okay, I'm done now… pass out

SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa: Thank you so much!! And I do plan on adding more fluff and stuff! It's just hard getting their because my brain is slow, haha.

MissAlviss: Lol, my story really isn't sucky? Ha, news to me! Well, not from what people have been telling me, but you know! I'll try to update soon! Lately my brain has been squeezed of ideas! You have been so kind to me since I started this!

Whoops!! I'm sorry if I've missed a few of your reviews (I just discovered them now). I'm still so crappy at working this website, haha. But if I did not reply to you in some way (or if I did and it didn't reach you) I apologize!!!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

**Chapter Nine**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome's eyes fluttered open and at first she thought she had died. She was looking up at a bright white sky, and when she shifter her gaze she saw the demon lord, his silken platinum hair tossing glossily in the breeze, making him look so angelic and surreal. She blinked a few times and came to all the way.

"Where are we?" she asked groggily, trying to move when she realized she was being held in place.

Sesshoumaru spared her a momentary glance before averting it back to his path. "On our way back."

Kagome twisted her head to see that she was once again, held in his arms bridal style. "What happened to, '_I'll leave you if you don't wake up on time'_?" She said in her best mocking voice with a slight grin.

Sesshoumaru thinned his lips and furrowed his eyebrows, irritated obviously, but did not retort. Truth was, he didn't have the heart to wake her. He hated even considering the fact that he had any compassion at all, but she looked so helpless, so fragile, just laying there in dead sleep.

Kagome just sighed and crossed her arms. "I think I can walk now…" '_Not that I mind _not _having to anything.' _She grinned to herself mentally. Suddenly the arm that supported her under her knees left and her feet clumsily hit the ground.

"Alright." Sesshoumaru said, as he released her completely.

Kagome re-gathered her composure and followed behind him with a feeble pout. The wind picked up and slapped her in the face and she felt the tears come to her eyes from it. She sniffled and rubbed her nose. "I hate this weather…" but her voice came out nasally and odd due to he nose being stuffed. "How much longer?" She whined.

Sesshoumaru bit into his lip and wished that she had stayed asleep. "I do not know, a few hours maybe."

Kagome hung her head down and groaned. "_Hours_? I wish I had a car…"

Sesshoumaru heard the foreign word slip from her lips and his ears perked. "Car?" He asked.

"Yeah. It's…umm… like a big cart that takes people places, but you don't need animals to make it move."

"Then how does it move?"

Damn his curiosity. "I don't know." Kagome slapped her forehead. "I'm not a mechanic." A thought struck her. "Can't you travel, like, super fast?" She asked.

"Yes, I suppose." Just as Kagome opened her mouth to suggest something he stopped her with his words. "But you did say that you did _not _want to be carried, so if I were to travel at such a speed, you would be left behind, and thus, become lost." Kagome opened her mouth again and he spoke again. "And I do not wish you deplete my energy in such a task."

Kagome decided to keep all ideas to herself so that she would not be shot down again. Her feet crunched through the snow and she found that she could no longer feel them. '_I wish I didn't open my mouth and say I didn't want to be carried…'_ Kagome looked down at Sesshoumaru's shoes and wondered if his feet were cold at all. Her eyes began to droop closed and she stumbled forward. "Wow…" she breathed. "I'm getting tired…"

Sesshoumaru heard her and stopped, and as he turned around, she bumped into him. Instead of jerking back she stayed there, face buried in his shoulder, eyes shut. His sensitive ears picked up her heartbeat and it sound slightly slower than normal.

"Ka…gome?" He asked.

Kagome groaned, "Sesshoumaru… I can't walk anymore…." she mumbled through chapped lips.

Sesshoumaru took a half step back, and she tipped, still leaning on him for support. "Kagome…" he said again. "Stay awake," he said, as he curled his arm under her nicely shaped legs and the other around her shoulders, lifting her up. "Do _not _go to sleep." He said, almost urgently.

Kagome blinked through slowly heavy-ing eyelids and could only make out the Taiyoukai's face, his lips moving, words barely audible. "I'll… try…" she whispered, and closed her eyes completely.

"Mmm…." Kagome mumbled, shifting in her state of half-sleep. She lazily picked herself up and looked around to see she was lying next to a nice fire. Then she searched the area again, not able to see her companion anywhere.

"Sessho-!" she was saying, when she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders, pulling her back.

Sesshoumaru looked down at her as he pulled her so her back was to his chest again. "Stay still…" he whispered.

Kagome swallowed and color suddenly rocketed to her cheeks, and not from the fire. "S-Sesshoumaru…" she said quietly. "What are you… doing?" She noticed that she was sitting between his raised knees, and could feel on her back that he wasn't wearing his armor.

Sesshoumaru shifted slightly to pull the large fur boa off his shoulder and lay it across her lap. "Keeping you warm. You almost passed out, and you could have died had you done so in this weather."

Kagome blinked in surprise and looked at her surroundings. Smooth walls radiated orange from the light of the fire. "Where are we?" She asked.

"A cave."

"I see…" she yawned and raised her arm up to stretch, just missing hitting him in the chin by doing so. "Sesshoumaru?"

He was quiet as he watched her, each miniscule movement, each breath, making sure she was healthy. "What?" He finally said, after a long silence.

"Why… are you being so kind to me?" She asked him, fisting her hands in the sleeves of his haori that she still wore.

The Demon Lord scratched tiny white lines into the stone floor of the cavern with the tips of his claws. "Go back to sleep." He instructed.

Kagome sunk down lower so her head rested against his stomach and she yawned again, shutting her eyes. '_It's nice trusting him….' _she thought, still blushing about the awkward amount of contact between them. '_I didn't expect him to answer… but maybe you tell me someday.'_

Sesshoumaru listened to the crackling of the fire as she slowly became limp and once more drifted of into sleep. Her breathing was quiet, almost childlike. Sesshoumaru leaned forward, out of curiosity, to see if her face would look as innocent. Her thick lashed eyes were shut and her lips were parted ever so slightly. Even though her lips were chapped, they were still a perfect cherry pink. He noticed how perfect her pale skin was, without scar or blemish, and had and urge to touch her cheek…

He quickly pressed himself back against the wall of the cave and clamped his eyes shut. He had been having too many of these little thoughts lately. His duty was merely to protect her…. Nothing more. They were never to become friends or anything alike… he was to watch her and keep her safe… like he promised. But still…

**Author Note**: Awww! Sesshy's such a cutie, idn't he? I just love him! I hope I'm doing alright and satisfying everyone's hopes for this story!! I'm working hard to get to more fluffy and romantic stuff, but as before, my brain is getting dryer and dryer by the day for ideas! You guys do such a magnificent job of making me feel good! So, just leave a review if you could please and tell me how I'm doing, it would be much appreciated!


	11. Chapter Ten

**Author Note**: OMG!!!! You guys are so nice you make me want to cry!!! Seriously, you are all so FREAKIN' NICE!!! I love you all so much I'd marry all of you … but I don't do that kind of thing. I'm a one-man woman (hope I phrased that right…), haha. I'm just kidding (well, I'm not, but you know what I mean) You all make this mean so much to me. I hope you have a great turkey day tomorrow(I worked my ass of finishing this chapter by today for you guys!) I just ate a bunch of ice cream and had a lot of pop, so I'm bouncing of the freakin' walls, here. I tried to make this chapter a tad fluffier, but I'm not sure if I did well or not. But yeah, enjoy anyways!!

**Tsuki Tenshi**: Your too kind!!!! I love you guys, too!! I'm glad I could help in some ways! And I hope YOU have a great thanksgiving, too:D

**Cjewellm**: Thank you, and I will!

**SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa**: Yup! Thank you so much!

**Alana124pyro**: I know, it is cute, isn't it? Our fluffy-kins is growing up on us!!! (sob) It seems like it was just yesterday he was only a few hundred years old…. Haha.

**Krazie-edge**: THANK YOU!!!

**MissAlviss**: Yeah… I know. When he first started getting nicer, I thought that I made a huge mistake, but now that I think about it, it's not that bad. He's such a cutie! I'm trying not to make him like, bipolar and go insanely nice or anything, though. Let's hope I can do it! And thanks!

**AineSakuyaCat**: Thank you so much!! I'll see to it that I get more up soon!

**Sesshoumaru's-Angel-09**: Thank you so much! And I'll work on getting up more chapters!

I really want to thank you ALL! You guys have stuck with me since the beginning and make this little story that started out as just a little idea into this thing that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!! I'M GOING TO HUG YOU ALL!

(Alter ego: you guys better run while you can…)

SHUT UP! (btw, that's my alter ego. It's a demon, because I act so bipolar all the time!)

**Chapter Ten**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome huffed a sigh and crossed her arms. "Sesshoumaru, I _said _I can walk!" She squirmed, wiggled and whined in the Taiyoukai's arms, but her attempts were futile.

"Last time you said you were fine, you passed out."

"But I-" her voice caught in her throat. He had her there. "But I'm fine _now,_"

"I swear you are worse than a child. I'll say it once more; _No_." He stated, punctuating his decision by pricking her lightly with his claws. He almost grinned when she shrieked from the sensation.

Kagome groaned and kicked her legs. '_A child indeed!' _To prevent her from moving, he tightened his grip on her, pressing her to his chest more. "You know…." she mumbled against his armor, "this is sorta uncomfortable for me, have you considered that?" She quirked an eyebrow up at him.

He thought it over before speaking. "I do not care."

"That is so mean!" She looked at the passing trees as they traveled. "Then how long till we get back?" She grumbled. She reached up to scratch her head and winced, feeling a lump on her scalp. "What…" she looked at her hand and saw dried flakes of blood. "What happened to me…?!"

"You had been struck on the head when you were captured."

"Wha…Why didn't you tell me I was injured?!" She shrieked.

Sesshoumaru tuned his head slightly so his sensitive ears could stop throbbing from her scream, if only for a moment. "You didn't complain about it, so I left it alone."

She wriggled in his grip again. "Let me down!"

Quite by accident, he lost his footing from her struggling and fell backwards. The world spun for a moment and then everything slowly came into focus. When Kagome opened her eyes she realized her face was pressed into Sesshoumaru's shoulder. Slowly the heat crept up to her cheeks as she raised herself and found that she was staring straight into wide golden eyes.

For a half-second, Sesshoumaru thought Kagome might slap him. But she just stayed straddled above him, hands on his shoulders, face mere inches from his, staring at him. Her cheeks were a cute shade of red that got darker and darker by the second.

Kagome swallowed thickly and licked her lips. "Uh… Sessh…" she said so quietly, so softly. She didn't even finish for she was afraid that she might frighten him off as though he were a little squirrel at her feet. "Sesshoumaru…" She felt dizzy. _Really _dizzy. Her heart pounded almost painfully in her chest. She had only felt like this when she was with InuYasha. Why was Sesshoumaru giving her that feeling?

His thick-lashed eyes searched hers for another moment before finally blinking, obscuring that curious look in his eyes. "Get off…" he said gruffly, although his voice came reluctantly.

Kagome just looked at him for another long moment and then his words finally hit her. She broke her gaze from his handsome features and clumsily fell off him. She covered her cheeks with her hands and looked away from him. "I'm… I'm so sorry! I uh… can walk now…" she said as she got to her feet, but couldn't help but stumble from the light wave of faintness that went over her.

Sesshoumaru got up and brushed himself off, but could still feel her heat sinking through his clothing to his skin. His heart was still racing from the contact and the awkwardness of the moment.

"So," Kagome said as cheerfully and as not embarrassed as she possibly could. "Let's get going!" She went on ahead down the path with the Demon Lord, who was slowly becoming tamed, right behind her.

Walking behind her wasn't such a dreadful thing, really. At first he didn't even notice he was staring at her, until he stepped on a twig and it snapped, bringing him back to his senses; if only partially. His eyes slowly slid from her shoulders down her tapering back to a small waist, and lower to regions unmentioned.

Kagome put a hand to her stomach. "Oh… I'm so hungry… and I need a bath…" she said aloud. "This sucks…" She turned to Sesshoumaru, and almost caught him staring at her. "Sesshoumaru? If you, like, smell a hot spring or something, would you tell me?"

"But we're almost-"

"I don't care. I really need a bath."

Sesshoumaru pressed his lips into a thin line. "Fine. There's one up ahead." He said, not even sniffing the air in case he was wrong. He was Sesshoumaru, of course he wouldn't be wrong.

"Thank you." She said, turning back to her path, doing all she could to keep herself from running to the spring.

When they came to it, Sesshoumaru told her. She began to make her way through the bushes when he followed.

"What are you doing?" She asked calmly. "You can't come with me, pervert!" Yelling at him like that reminded her of those many odd times with the monk.

"Fine then. When demons smell your blood, I just might not be there to protect you."

"Well, _fine _then! I'll just get eaten, if that's what it means for me to have a good bath!" She said, stomping off to the water.

The bath felt great. Kagome sunk herself into the near boiling waters and sighed, relaxing and trying not to fall asleep. She dunked her head and softly rubbed at the spot where she was wounded, and when she surfaced she noticed the water turn a murky rust color. '_Eww…'_ she thought, before continuing bathing the rest of herself. She was dirtier than she had thought, but when she was done she felt like a million bucks, even if she felt a bit colder than before against the wind.

On her way back, she thought happily, '_See Sesshoumaru, no demons tried to- where is he?_ She looked around on the path and noticed where there foot prints stopped, Kagome' leading into the bushes, but Sesshoumaru's just _stopped._

She heard a sound in the bushes and sighed with relief. "Oh, Sesshoumaru, I didn't…." she slowly looked at her newest companion. "…know… where…" she stopped.

A large snake, larger than a human by far, sat coiled in front of her, head raised and teeth bared, saliva stringing along from each long fang. From head to tail it was covered in slick raven scales, glimmering in the sunlight and contrasting greatly next to the snow.

"Little human…." it hissed.

Kagome gasped and stumbled backward. '_Oh my God, he was right! And now he's not here! SHIT!!'_

The strength in her legs finally came back just in time for her to dive out of the way as it struck. Instead of getting her, the snake got a mouthful of tree. Kagome spat dirty snow out of her mouth and quickly got back to her feet as the snake shook itself.

"You are the human who is-sssss traveling with Sess-sssshoumaru…." it hissed, a dark purple tongue flicking out of its mouth.

"H-how do you know that?!" Kagome yelled.

"Word gets-ssss around…." it snapped it's mighty jaws and lunged for her again. Kagome didn't have time and held her arms up over her head and screamed, "Sesshoumaru!"

Silence, then a sizzling sound.

Kagome cracked an eye open and lowered her arms a bit. The snake sat still, still upright for a moment, when its head fell off.

Kagome yelped and fell backwards, landing on her rear rather hardly. The flesh where the snakes head was severed sizzled and bubbled, emanating a horrid smell of quickly rotting flesh hitting her nostrils. Kagome threw a hand over her mouth and gagged from the rank smell.

Sesshoumaru shook his hand once, sending any of the remaining acid from his claws to the bushes. The snake fell down in front of him, his poison doing its work quickly and melting its thick skin and scales. Kagome sat helplessly on the ground, hand over her mouth.

"Step away from it and you will not get sick," he instructed. From experience he knew what it was like. He had become ill from slaying his enemies in this manner many times in the past, his sensitive nose picking up the vile scent ten times more than humans could.

Kagome scrambled to her feet and stepped away from it, watching as the small amount of acid began to devour the flesh, leaving mere bones. "That _stuff _comes out of your nails?!" She squealed. "That's gross!"

Sesshoumaru sighed and stepped over the decaying victim, stopping a few inches in front of Kagome. Any signs of anger or disgust washed off her face as he came to stand in front of her. She didn't even see his hand move, but she felt him hook a finger under her chin and lift her gaze to his.

"Are you hurt?" He asked softly.

Time lapsed and Kagome stared at him, her heart speeding again, the way she knew it shouldn't. She swallowed and nodded. "Yeah…" she said, her voice breathy.

His hand left and he began walking down the path. "I guess that bath did not do much, did it?"

Kagome felt reality spin back to her through the fog if dizziness she felt and she looked down at herself. She was dirty only on one side, where she had slid in the dirt away from the snake.

"That wasn't nice!" She finally yelled, and jogged to catch up with him.

**Author Note**: Yay! My chapters are finally in the double digits!!! Go me! But yeah, I hoped this turned out alright. I've been kind of lazy with the editing and stuff, so just tell me if my mistakes get too bad. Please review, I hoped you enjoyed it, and I'll have another chappie up soon!


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Author Note: **Wow… I've had so much crap going on lately. Sorry I haven't had a chapter up in a while (I usually update rather quickly…ish). My computer was being dumb and wouldn't let the chapter upload, and I was gone all weekend. But I hope you guys all had fun with just… your lives, and stuff… So yeah!!!

Special thanks to **the-redwolf42**! You gave me more ideas to make my story longer! Yay! (throws confetti) I didn't use your ideas exactly (they were great though. I might use them in another story) but I used the just of your idea (you'll see in later chapters). I did have some ideas, but if I did what I had planned without your suggestion, my story would probably not go on as long as it will now! (hug) And Sesshy is just so cute jealous, isn't he?

Also thanks to Liz, who has been so very nice to me!

**Sesshoumaru's-Angel-09**: Yay! Glad you liked it! Ideas have been a tad short, but I'll try and update!

**SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa**: Hehe, yes, your name is up there!! I know, don't you just want to pick fluffy up and squeeze 'im? XD I know I do! I'm so glad you love my story!! (happy dance) I love making people happy! (sometimes… lol)

**Tsuki Tenshi**: Thanks! I'm glad I did good! Lol, I love throwing shoes at people. Sounds like your brother really annoys you, haha. But then again, that's how siblings are (just look at Inu and Sesshy!). Thanks again and I'll try and update more!

**The Kikyo Hater: **Glad I'm not messing up like a lunatic or anything, haha :D. I know, boys are always nicer in stories than in real life! If only they could be swapped somehow… (begins to plot…)

**alana124pyro**: Haha, AWETHUME!!! I say that now about everything :D. Thank you so much!

**AineSakuyaCat**: Thanks, and I'll try to keep 'em coming!

**Pixie-love: **Oh my gosh, I hated making the gang die in the beginning, but I'm just cruel TT. Thank you so much!

**Sick Of Your Games: ** Thank you!

**Chicana**: Aww!! That's okay. I'm so glad that their good! Thank you so much!

You guys all rock my fluffy slippers!

**Note**: I just recently got a back up in my emails so I was bombarded with review alerts, haha. So if you reviewed and I didn't thank you, I'm very sorry. Your reviews are appreciated!!

**Disclaimer**: Oops! I think I've forgotten this in the last chapter. The characters of InuYasha do not belong to me, the belong to Rumiko Takahashi. ON YOUR KNEES AND THANK HER!

**Chapter Eleven**

**I'm Only Human**

Finally, after an exhausting journey, they had returned to Sesshoumaru's castle. Once there, Kagome didn't really know what to do. She stood in the doorway of the room she was assigned and stared at the blank walls. It was nice here… but she had no purpose. And what happened to Ritsu? Would she come after her again? Or did Sesshoumaru kill her? And Naraku's incarnation…

Kagome groaned and rested her forehead against the doorways side. "I need to go home and take a nice bath… and take a good nap… and just get this crap off my mind…" she shut her eyes for a moment then let them flutter open, studying the woodwork of the walls, the little furrows and spots that lightened and darkened… and soon she was mesmerized by it. '_It's a nice wall…' _She thought, scratching it with her nail. The sleeve of the once nice and clean haori she wore crept down her arm and she looked at it. It was so dirty. And it was _her _fault. Where would Sesshoumaru get a new one?

She scratched at the crusted dirt and tried to pick some of it off. "I don't even know why he let me use it… being 'nice' isn't like him…" she whispered to herself; when it hit her that she didn't even know him. Sure, she knew him, but not closely like a friend would. Did he even have friends? She couldn't judge him before she knew him. Maybe he was a really nice guy…

Kagome almost heard InuYasha's laughter in her head at the thought. She mentally shouted, 'osuwari' at his image in her mind. Everyone would have thought it absurd that maybe; _maybe_, the taiyoukai had a gentler side. But slowly, Kagome was seeing a different side of him… so it was possible.

"Kagome…"

Kagome jumped and turned around and saw the subject of her one-sided conversation standing a few feet from her. "Yes?" She hadn't really noticed that he had stopped addressing her as 'ningen' but now by her name.

"Did I hear you say you wished to go home again?" Sesshoumaru asked.

'_Oh… he was listening to me talk to myself like a maniac!' _"I, erh… need to go home for a day or so, yeah."

He marginally nodded his head and let his gaze fall on her.

'_Please don't argue with me about this…' _she prayed to herself when,

"Let's go."

"Uhh… yeah, okay." She muttered, picking up her bag and followed him.

He didn't pick her up this time, or even offer to carry her. Truth was he was thinking about her a little too much to be normal and he didn't want anything to do with her, just in case being in contact with her would make the thoughts more frequent. Although he couldn't help but miss his arms tucked around her slender body…

He stared pointedly at a tree they were currently passing, trying to divert his thoughts. He thought of destroying that innocent little tree, melting it to the ground, setting it on fire, then it's poor little tree family might miss it. He might kill those trees, too, anything, but his thoughts always went back to her for some reason. He almost tripped on a rock he was so out of it.

Kagome watched him clumsily stumble over a rock and laughed a little to herself. He was so awkward, so… him. She smiled when she thought that maybe she knew him a little better than some people did. That maybe he was comfortable, if only a bit, around her.

Another long silence until they reached the well. Kagome reached a hand to her neck to assure she had the jewel and stood still for a moment, staring down into the well.

"You're not… going to go with me, are you?" She asked him.

"I think you are able to go on your own now, aren't you?" His voice came out cold and stoic.

Kagome 'pfft'd and sat on the edge of the well. "I've _always _been able to go home on my own. Duh." Then she disappeared down the gaping mouth of the well.

Kagome pulled herself up the ladder and out of the well house. It hadn't snowed in her time yet, she found. It was much warmer than it had been in the Sengoku Jidai. Since it was early her mother was gone shopping and her brother was at school. Kagome didn't even know where her grandpa was. Other than the cat, she had the house to herself.

First thing she did was take a long, hot bath, then dressed herself in her pajamas and flopped down on her bed. "He can wait a day… or two…" she said groggily. Even though the young miko was so tired, she couldn't go to sleep. Buyo jumped up on the bed next to her and kneaded his paws into her side, purring loudly. She lifted the fat cat up under his arms and set him on her stomach, scratching him behind the ears. She tried to think of many different things so she could go to bed, but any topic she came up with ended in her thinking of Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru…" she tested his name out, thinking about it. '_Come on, it's not like I have a crush of him… I'm just thinking about him…' _Kagome let the idea sink in and slowly her cheeks turned red. "Oh my God!" The cat dashed off her stomach and onto the floor as she sat up. Kagome looked down at her hands, shaking slightly. "No, no, no!" She yelled at herself. "You _don't_ have a crush on him… you don't, you don't, you don't!" She tried to convince herself, but nothing seemed to click into agreement. She shifted her feet nervously and pulled the sheet up over her knees. "Maybe… I do…" she finally concluded. _There_, she felt the click she had been previously looking for, like everything fit into place now. "Oh…" she rested her forehead on her knees. "This can't be good."

Sesshoumaru decided that it was time to find himself more servants, now that Ritsu was gone. He had found one that seemed loyal enough, a dog demon like himself, but not nearly as powerful.

_He had found him perched in a tree, stalking a group of human females traveling to their village. _

_Sesshoumaru stood on a branch of a neighboring tree, watching this man. The demon looked up through curious cat-like eyes and grinned. "So are you gonna take one, or not?" _

_Sesshoumaru quirked a brow and they waited as the women passed. The dark-haired demon frowned. "What a shame… perfectly good women gone to waste… So," he stood up and crossed his arms. "What the hell do you want?" He slowly observed the other demon, noting his youkai markings and interesting appearance. "Ah, the son of Inu-Taisho, are you?" He concluded. _

Sesshoumaru only had to strike his new servant once before he obeyed. He was a little worried, though. As they had traveled back to his castle, this new demon, whose name was Yukio, had stopped repeatedly to spy on the village girls they had come across. Sesshoumaru could care less of what happened to those women, but he wasn't sure what would transpire when Kagome came back.

Kagome leapt through the well, after a little amount of sleep, her backpack restocked with her needs. She had changed into a pair of thick black-denim jeans and a blue sweatshirt, along with a winter jacket stowed in her bag. Wearing the traditional miko garb was getting old. She'd be looked at oddly for her futuristic clothing, but she'd be warm. Her white tennis shoes helped her get traction off the walls of the wells depths and she reached the top faster. She frowned and remembered that she would have to find her way back on her own without Sesshoumaru waiting to escort her. And night was drawing nearer. With her luck, she'd probably be attacked by some demon on her way.

She brushed past some leafless bushes, their spiky branches prodding and poking her, and she hoped she was going the right way. The path she had taken few times was becoming a little bit more familiar each time she left. And now that there was only an inch of sun left above the horizon, she was almost running to her goal. She could see the moon coming through the darkening sky as the sun lowered itself fully and night took over. It was all frighteningly beautiful.

Kagome tightened her hands on the straps of her backpack and bit her lips. '_Almost there… I know it. Sesshoumaru will smell me coming nearer and maybe he'll come get me…' _she thought, hoped, as she continued. Something stirred in the trees, the sound of dry bark on bark chafing together filling the quiet forest.

Kagome whimpered looked up. The silhouette of a man standing in a tree, the moon as his backdrop, was what she saw. She quickly looked away and tried to pretend that maybe she hadn't seen it, or that it was an illusion, like all little kids when you hear a scary noise at night and you hide under your covers to make it go away.

A soft 'thud' on the ground behind her and that was her cue to run. She nearly let her bag off her shoulders but she stopped, and heard nothing behind her. She swallowed thickly and turned. To her great relief, nothing. She turned back around and bumped into something, or someone. Kagome screamed and stumbled back. Before her yell could echo, a hand was over her mouth.

"Don't scream…" a quiet, calming voice said, smooth and cool like satin.

Kagome's eyes were still wide as she shook her head furiously under the mans hand.

"Stop it!" The male said. "I'm here to escort you…" Kagome's squirming softened, "to Sesshoumaru." He slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth and Kagome took a shaky and clumsy step backward.

"Who…" she said, staring into bright, glowing green eyes, "are you?"

Her 'captor' smiled, fangs brilliantly white in the light of the moon. "My name is Yukio," he said, taking her hand and kissing her wrist, his lips lingering there longer than necessary. "I am a servant of the Lord Sesshoumaru. You must be Kagome-sama," he was told about her from his new master. He was not to touch her, not to look at her in any way at all, and not to speak to her. Basically he was to have nothing to do with her. Looks like he just broke three rules and he hadn't been with the Lord for even a day. It was hard _not_ to look at her, though. The garment she was wearing on her legs was tight and showed off the contour of her hips down. Odd though her clothing was, it was far less modest than what was accustomed in his time. His eyes finally left her slender legs and looked up a thin waist, to other regions, and then her face.

Her face sill held a frightened look, but she had calmed down considerably. Her blue eyes weren't as wide any longer and her cheeks were flushed. She was very, very, pretty.

"Yes…" she finally answered him. He was a demon. She could feel his power swirling around him. She was surprised she hadn't sensed it before. But she didn't need to feel his power to know he was youkai. His eyes were such an unnatural shade of green, and glowed in the night, and then of course were his fangs and claws, another give away. And lastly were his demon markings. Where Sesshoumaru had mauve streaks on his cheeks, this demon had one stripe on each cheek, both a dark turquoise.

He was handsome, she'd give him that. Yukio turned his back, but twisted his head to look at her, smiling. "Shall we, then?" He said, long, silky black hair settling over his shoulders. Kagome nodded mutely and followed this new demon.

**Author Note: **(evil laugh) I like my new character :D. He won't be as nice as he is now, though, that's for sure (they never are, are they? Hmm….) I had Yukio designed already from a story I had done previously (and abandoned) and thought I could apply him here. And I did! So, please tell me how it's going and review your little hearts out! (an just a note: I didn't edit this chapter so well, so forgive the mistakes!)


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Author Note**: AHHHH!!!!! flops on floor I'm so exhausted!!! You guys all seem to like this story enough, so I've been trying to get another chapter up… now… just a warning… it sucks. I've had so many things going on lately, what with Christmas coming up, and school work, people just being idiots (trust me, I get a lot of idiots where I live XD) Also, I'm VERY happy!! I just bought the D.N. Angel DVD's recently (which is also my favorite manga) And they were great!!! tear I'm so sad I already finished watching them… But whatever, you guys don't care about my fangirlish ways, haha. Wow! I'm getting more reviews than I thought I would. I might have to start just writing names down and saying simple 'thank you's' instead of these more elaborate ones that take up half a page, hehe.

**Alana124pyro**: DUN DUN DUN!!! Haha, I love dramatically evil sounds. Yes, I am a tad evviiiiiill (cat-like grin). **SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa**: Yaaay!! Reading these reviews make me so happy! I'll get to updating! (runs off to work more) **darknozomi**: I hope it will! I'm trying my best, and you guys seem to like it! I'll try and work faster! **the-redwolf42**: Yay! Party for Yukio! Wait… no… (smacks Yukio with newspaper) BAD BOY!!! Haha, had to do it. :D Thank you! **Tsuki Tenshi**: Haha, locking people in closets! WOOH!!! **Edward-Elric-x**: Aww, I know! I didn't like making Inu and the others die, but alas, I did anyways (I'm so mean!!). And thank you! **MissAlviss**: Lol, thankies! Erm… I'm not sure what bishounen means… hehe. I don't have that big of an inventory of Japanese words, I only know a few (it is a Japanese word, right?) Haha. If you could tell me that would rock out loud :D) **SCK6: **I know, I suck at making decent-length chapters, haha. But thank you! **mangatb: **Yay!! Thankies! **The Kikyo Hater: **Woot! I hope he's an alright character. Sometimes I suck at making characters, haha. **chicana**: Ha, nice. It's silly because I figured my story was getting worse and worse, haha, Yay me!!**Gothgirl18892: **Don't let me kill you! AH! Haha. I always get writers block after one of my stories start getting good, I don't know why XD But I'll try and get rid of the writers block! **Pixie-love: **Ha, thanks! **Tsuki Tenshi: **Ahh! I'm so sorry it's been so long!!! I'm trying but my brain keeps shutting down, haha. And Merry Christmas to you, too:D **AiRyuhou**: I will!

Eeh! I know that Jaken and Rin just vanished at one point after one appearance (but who gives a _damn _about Jaken, anyways? Lol) so I'm gonna try and not forget about them (trust me, I do things like that all the time) and throw them in again. Awww… my tea is all gone (pout) oh well. Please enjoy! (omg… that was longer that I thought it would be ;)

**Note**: I didn't really edit this chapter, because I was anxious to get it up :D Forgive any major mistakes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me! sob

**Chapter Twelve**

**I'm Only Human**

"What are you doing here, wench?!" The green imp was shouting at Kagome.

Kagome sidestepped to stand behind Yukio, as though that would protect her from Jaken's barrage of insults.

"I assure you," Yukio said calmly, trying to reason with the retainer, "Kagome is to be here, just ask your-"

"No. She's with that half-breed. My master will want nothing to do with her- umm…." Jaken slowly turned and looked up at an angry Inu Taiyoukai, staring daggers at him. "Milord…"

Sesshoumaru kicked him, and Jaken was sent flying forward and his face planted into the snow. "Jaken,"

"Lord Sesshoumaru!" A higher voice called, and soon there was a young girl clamped around the Demon lord's waist.

Sesshoumaru sighed and patted her head. "Rin… I was just inside with you… I haven't left…"

Rin giggled. "I know. I just wanted to hug you." She grinned as she released him and smiled up at him. "You keep leaving without telling us where you're going, so I want to hug you as much as I can in case you leave again."

Kagome smiled and looked back from the two, stepping out from behind Yukio.

"You've met my new servant?" Sesshoumaru asked her. He looked away for only a second to see Jaken picking himself up off the ground, grumbling about something before coming to Rin and leading her inside for 'bedtime'.

"Oh, yes. He helped me find my way back here."

Sesshoumaru let his gaze fall on the new servant. "Did he now?" He raised an eyebrow. Judging by Kagome's attitude, nothing unacceptable had happened, although there were trace amounts of his scent on her which nerved him a bit.

"Yeah… oh," she remembered suddenly, and set her large backpack on the ground and began digging through it. She pulled something folded out and handed it to him. "Here, it's your haori. I felt really bad about getting it dirty so I washed if for you." She smiled, a dash of red gracing her cheeks.

Sesshoumaru looked at the cloth as though it were something strange before taking from her hand. "I…" Kagome just held a hand up to stop him. "It's fine. I'm going to go to bed now, it's getting late." She yawned.

Sesshoumaru nodded and watched as she passed him and entered his domain, and noted also with a twitch of the eyebrow that Yukio watched her with much interest.

"Are you courting her?" Sesshoumaru heard, and his fist tightening in the silken cloth of the garment in his hand and his claws stabbing little holes in it. His attention snapped his servant.

"What?" He growled.

Yukio narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired demon and grinned, "You heard me."

"She is human…" Sesshoumaru stated, as though it would answer all of Yukio's questions. Before he could say anything more, Yukio spoke.

"But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be some fun…"

Sesshoumaru, without thinking, punched the black-haired demon in the face, sending him flying backward. "I told you never to touch her, or even _think_ of touching her…" Sesshoumaru snarled threateningly, fangs bared and eyes narrowed.

Yukio lightly touched to bruise on his cheek with mild interest. "Touchy… then if _you _aren't' courting her, why am I not allowed to do so myself?" He choose his words carefully and spoke them with a tone that pricked and prodded at the Youkai Lord in just the right way.

Sesshoumaru was beginning to think maybe he had chosen the wrong servant. But until he obtained more, Yukio would have to do… but that didn't stop him from imagining disemboweling him, decapitating him, and any other delightfully gruesome and sadistic thoughts that came to mind. He clenched his fists at his sides and finally turned. "Just stay away from her. That's all you need to know."

Kagome found the room she had occupied before, after nearly getting lost, and entered, sliding the door shut behind her. She set her bag down and began rummaging through if for her pajamas. She was smarter this time and brought warmer clothing. She pulled out a thick top and fuzzy pajama pants and changed into them, then slid down in the covers of her pallet. She felt at home here, now. Maybe it was because Sesshoumaru wasn't as cold as he seemed, but since the last time she had stayed here, she felt a lot more comfortable.

It was cold that morning. Kagome's eyes cracked open and searched to room, having almost forgotten where she was. It was still fairly dark, probably about five or so in the morning, she deducted, and looking at the window and seeing the indigo sky fade to red at the horizon. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes of their sleep and listened to everything around her. It was almost unbearably quiet until she realized that she could hear music playing; a flute. It didn't seem like it was coming from inside, or anyway too near her, so she went to the window and opened it, leaning out and looking around. A gust of chilled winter air slapped her in the face and she felt tears brim at her eyes. That's when she noticed the flute stopped playing.

"Stupid wind…" Kagome muttered, ready to close her window, when the flute started up again, then stopped. She frowned; a tad annoyed that she wasn't able to find the source of the noise when she nearly screamed, as someone was suddenly standing outside her window in front of her.

"Nosy, aren't you?" Yukio said with a slight grin on his face, holding a flute in his hand.

"What the hell-" she caught sight of the instrument in his hand. "Why are you playing music this early in the morning?" She groaned, scratching her head.

Yukio let his eyes roam her form quickly before meeting her eyes again. She didn't seem to notice. "I don't sleep much, being a demon."

"Right… well next time you want to play music, or whatever, keep in mind that _humans_ like to sleep. And this particular human _enjoys_ it quite a bit." Kagome's hands were on her hips now while she gave him a stern look. When he didn't answer she tapped her foot one. "_Okaaaay_?"

"Yes, _ma'am_." He said, giving a slight bow with a playful smile.

"Okay. Go back to… well, not playing _that_," Kagome said, gesturing to the flute, "Because I'm going to-"

"Lady Kagome, would you please take the time to sit out here with me?" He asked casually.

"Oh… well, I'm so tired, and it's so cold…" she stammered slightly.

"It's alright." Yukio gave her a flashy smile.

'_For you, maybe…'_ she grumbled in her head. "Fine."

Kagome, being somewhat of a klutz, began to climb out the window, rather than taking the time to get lost trying to find a door leading outside and then get lost again trying to find where he was, and tripped.

"Oww…" she groaned, rubbing her backside. "This sucks."

Yukio took her hand and pulled her up to her feet, and then without any warning, curled an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"Ah, what are you…" she stammered, heat climbing to her cheeks quickly.

"Hold on," he said, crouching and leaping up. Kagome yelped and felt her stomach jump. She wasn't sure if it was being so close to him so suddenly, or the speed he had jumped. When she finally loosened her death-grip around his neck and opened her eyes, she could see that she was now atop the castle roof.

"Wow…" she said, putting a little distance between her and the demon, while dragging tired feet through the snow on the roof. The sky looked so magnificent from the height they were at. It had already changed more color since she had last paid attention to it. Now it was an amazing blend of gold, fading into red, and then into purple, and lightening still. "It's so pretty." She said, turning to see Yukio sitting down and clearing away some snow next to him.

"Come sit," he instructed, but smiling all the while.

Despite the fact that Kagome's feet were going to loose all sensation within a few minutes, she sat down next to him.

"So, what's the point of bringing me up here, anyways?" She asked, fixing a few of the buttons on her pajama top.

Yukio's eyes watched her hands were at the buttons before answering. "Just to talk." He said. "So, how is it that a human came to stay with Lord-Sesshoumaru?"

"Oh, that…" she said. It would seem a little odd. Sesshoumaru had become famous, in a sense, for his hatred of ningens. "Well, I guess it was a promise he made… to his brother…"

"Half-brother, you mean?" Yukio corrected, drawing tiny swirls in the snow with his claws, his other hand supporting his chin while his elbow rested on his knee.

"Yeah… wait, how do you know that?!" She squeaked.

Yukio chuckled. "Most demons know of two half-brothers, one the Great Inu-Youkai, ruler of the Western lands, son of InuTaisho. And InuYasha, half-demon son of InuTaisho."

"Yeah…" she said.

"So you were saying, about a promise?"

"Oh, well, InuYasha and I had been traveling together for a long time, after I…" she tugged at the hem of her pajama top. "After I shattered the Shikon no Tama…"

"You did that?!" He laughed.

Kagome pouted and pinned him with a glare. "It's not funny. I felt really bad about it…"

"Okay, I'm sorry. Go on."

"Well, after we had gotten the last shard, InuYasha and all of my other companions were killed…" her voice quieted noticeably, as though she were telling him a secret. "And I was put in the care of Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome took a fistful of snow in her hand as the wind brushed her messy hair off of her shoulders and cooled her hot cheeks. It was strange now… she didn't feel so much like… crying anymore.

"Ahh," Yukio continued. "I see. Did you love him?"

Kagome wasn't sure if the color had left her face or if she was blushing. Maybe it was somewhere in between. "Nani?"

"InuYasha, I mean."

"Oh… well…. I guess… I _did_, and I will always, as he was a dear friend of mine… but I do realize I can't dwell on it forever…"

"Hmm…" was his only reply.

The silence was only a little awkward after that, until Kagome spoke, her eyes sparkling in the morning sun's rays. "Well, I should probably visit their graves today. It's been a while."

Sesshoumaru had returning from patrolling his territory when he spotted two figures high up on the roof of his castle. He quickly caught the scent of Kagome, but also of Yukio. A low growl emitted from his chest as he came closer to his home. When he was only 15 meters from his said home he was able to hear there conversation clearly enough.

Yukio was asking about how she had come to stay with Sesshoumaru. He thought she might stray from the subject, perhaps it being too painful to discuss, but she went right into it, with petty interruptions from Yukio in between.

He listened a little further before he grew bored and decided that he would leave them, when he heard Yukio say something that particularly made him stay and listen.

"Did you love him?"

Sesshoumaru stood frozen where he was. It was just a simple question, so why was it affecting him so much?

Then Kagome answered, not agreeing completely, but not denying her previous affections for the hanyou, either. He supposed it was somewhat of a weight lifted off his shoulders, since he had been contemplating asking her a question similar to Yukio's himself. But he hoped maybe she would have replied differently.

He watched as they both stood, and Yukio put his hands on her and leapt off the rooftop. It sickened the Demon Lord, for some reason, to see him touch her, and also that he had gotten so 'friendly' with her within a day.

Kagome spied Sesshoumaru very near the castle after she was off the roof and waved to him. "Good morning, Sesshoumaru!" She called.

Sesshoumaru took his time getting to them, walking at his own pace so that he could indulge himself in the thought of countless ways to slay his servant. Just the mere thought of 'disposing' his servant caused the beast inside of him to stir.

"Kagome…" he nodded, supposedly his way of saying 'good morning' to her. "Yukio…" he said, his voice holding a cold, lethal tone to it.

"Good morning, Master," Yukio said, smiling somewhat defiantly.

"Sesshoumaru," Kagome began, and continued when his golden gaze was locked on her again. "I was wondering… would I be able to visit my friend's graves today?" She locked her hands behind her back and gave him an award-winning smile.

"That is acceptable." He responded, as their eyes stayed locked for another moment before Yukio interrupted the pleasant silence.

"I can escort her."

"No. I will." Sesshoumaru growled softly.

"But Master," Yukio prodded, "I insist." He grinned, fangs peeking from behind his lips.

"Yukio…" Sesshoumaru restrained himself as well as possible so that he wouldn't snarl or strike at the assistant. "Assume your duties as my servant. Do as I say."

Yukio eyed his master carefully, and then Kagome next, before nodding and saying his farewells and going off.

"Get yourself ready," Sesshoumaru said once Yukio was gone. His voice had already become softer and less threatening. "We will go soon."

Kagome smiled and saluted him. "Hai!"

**Author Note: **Few… my writers block is finally GONE!!! I just did this chapter today. I'm sorry if it wasn't good, but nevertheless, please review!!! I did end this one at a weird place, but that's only because I finally have some ideas for the next chappie :D! I love you all!!!


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Author Note: **Yay!!! I'm so glad my writers block has subsided for now. I'm terribly sorry, my story really isn't that great, but I hope that this chapter will be () I have ideas in store for this one:D :D I'll tell you, this chapter has been sitting in my head since the very start of this story. I really hope you guys enjoy it!

**Tsuki Tenshi: **Oi, thank you so much! **Nitchu Mikata:** Thank you so much dear! **The Kikyo Hater: **Haha, wow. LONG REVIEW!!! But that's okay, it makes me feel loved 3 I'm so glad you think I'm that good of a writer:D Haha, pen stabbing (silly). Yes… someone might die soon in this fic (evil thoughts) Thanks a mill! **SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa**: Yay!! Glad you liked it!! I'm glad that you kept reading it (despite the fact that I stopped updating for a while, haha) **Gothgirl8892: **Hehe, you're welcome. I know, long chapters hate me hangs head in shame I was never good at them. But I'll try harder! Thank you for the suggestions! **Sesshoumaru's-Angel-09**: Thank you so much, and I will!

**Chapter Thirteen**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome had changed into a pair of jeans and a new sweatshirt. She felt a little guilty because she wouldn't have any flowers for the graves. But they would understand.

Sesshoumaru listened as she chattered about random things, her friends in her time, school, homework, whatever that was, all the while feigning boredom. It was, truthfully interesting to listen to her speak of her world, how different it was, and how things had changed over the centuries.

"… and then my teacher gave me _so _much homework, and I…, well I didn't do it." She finally concluded. She spared a glance at Sesshoumaru and noticed how uninterested, how bored he looked. "_Sorry _that I'm boring you." She said sarcastically.

Sesshoumaru said nothing, but watched as the magic well came into view.

"Huh? Why are you taking me to the well?" Kagome asked.

"I am not. It is merely on the way." He said.

"Oh… okay."

Kagome stopped when they reached the well, and Sesshoumaru stopped not even a half step after her. He turned enough to see her looking down into it, feeling the jewel around her neck.

"Kagome?" He asked.

Kagome shook her head and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry, I just blanked out for a second, I guess." She stood there, looking so sweet and innocent, so untouchable with the backdrop of snow behind her. He turned from her quickly and clenched his fangs tightly together. She was so…

"Se…Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked timidly, after he broke their stare. She was starting to get the feeling he seriously hated her. She took a step nearer to him. "What's wro-"

Sesshoumaru dug his heel into the snowy ground, whipping around and taking her by the shoulders, fangs bared. "Go home!" He shouted, and pushed her backward.

Kagome stumbled back with a gasp and felt the rim of the well against the back of her knees, knocking her feet forward and sending her down the well. The last thing she saw was his beautiful face contorted with an odd emotion before the magic in the well caught and swallowed her to her own time.

Sesshoumaru stared down the well. She was gone now. And he couldn't get her, and she wouldn't come back. After a while, maybe, he would stop thinking of her, and things would go back to normal for him. Then why… did he feel so…

Sesshoumaru dropped to his knees and stared down the well as though she would be waiting there for him, smiling up at him with that smile she always wore. He dug his claws into the woodwork of the well so hard that it nearly panged him. Splinters drove in beneath his nails and drew tiny rivers of blood. He was feeling something, he didn't know what it was, but it was worse than any pain he had ever felt.

Kagome sat at the bottom of the well, looking up as though she could still see the Feudal Era's unpolluted skies. "You jerk!!" She screamed, so hard her throat was raw from it. She got herself up to her feet and started to climb the ladder, stomping on each step before she reached the top. She was in the well house. She hoped maybe she had stayed in the Feudal Era, just so she could give him a good kick. Right where it hurt. She clenched her fists at her sides and made her way to the house.

"Stupid, pompous, self-centered, arrogant, bastard of a demon!" She growled to herself as she made her way to the door of her house. She angrily took the doorknob in her hand and jerked it.

Nothing.

Kagome tried turning it again, but still nothing happened. "Okay… my mom is gone…." She pounded on the door. "Grandpa! Sota! Is anyone home?!"

A minute passed and still no answer came. The sky thundered softly in the distance and Kagome groaned. "They better get home soon…" she put her back to the door and slid down so her knees were to her chest. At least she wouldn't be bored. She had a lot to think about.

'_Great…'_ Kagome thought to herself as the sky began to cry its tears. "The house is locked and they're not home… and it's raining, and I have no where to go…" she said aloud. "I didn't even know it _could _rain in winter…" Less than a minute had passed and her clothes were plastered messily against her body from the cold rain. She held her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on them, drowsing slightly. "Where did they go anyways…?"

**Ano toki kimi mo kodoku o kanjite itano**

_**(Were you also feeling loneliness then?)**_

"_Go home!" He shouted, and pushed her backward._

**Chiisana jibun o omotte kyou mo nemurenai**

_**(Thinking how insignificant I am to you, I can't sleep again tonight)**_

Kagome clenched her eyes shut tighter. "Why did he have to be so mean? He's just a jerk…" she thought, and then her mind supplied, '_A very cute jerk that has done a lot for you since InuYasha died.' _

**Semete yume no naka de aetara**

_**(If I could at least see you in my dreams)**_

**Nante dare mo kanete wa kurenai**

_**(But no one grants a wish like that)**_

"Yeah, but he's still a jerk!" She yelled to no one. '_People have to think I'm crazy. I'm just sitting out here in the rain yelling at myself like a maniac.' _She stared at a dead leaf on the ground and watched it get pelted with rain. "But I want to see him again…" she said quietly to herself. "A lot…"

**Kimi ni tsutaeru sube sae shirazuni**

_**(Without even knowing they way to tell you)**_

**Kyou mo tomatteiru**

_**(It's another day that I'm no closer to you)**_

The clouds seemed as though they knew how she was feeling, and poured down harder, sensing her despair. Kagome groaned and dug her fingers into the dirt next to her. One particularly large drop 'thunked' on her head. "Great, sky. Just _great_. What did I do to _you_?!" She yelled upward, and then sighed. "Probably something…" she grunted as she got to her feet and attempted to open the door again, but knew it was futile. She turned and looked ahead of her and saw a tall figure clad in white, and she blinked her eyes. '_A trick of the rain…?'_

Sesshoumaru stood across the way, standing in the rain, beautiful silver hair stuck to his face and soggy silk haori, crisp golden eyes seeking her out like a beam. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat at the sight. She was so happy to see him, but it scared her, too. The previous desire to kick him had fled. She swallowed thickly and felt her heart race behind her ribs. Her knees suddenly went weak and she had to lean back against the house to stay standing.

Sesshoumaru stared at her from across the way, her rain-drenched body beckoning to him. She looked so beautiful, so untouchable in the rain. For a long time he thought he would not be able to move, but only stare at her.

Kagome noticed his feet begin to carry him towards her, but he did not seem to go anywhere, as though time were drawing out her last moments and allowing her to reflect. '_Is he going to kill me?'_

He stopped a mere inch in front of her, fixed his gaze on hers, his expressionless face marred with lines of an emotion she had never seen him express, but could not define it. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would burst free of its cage in her chest. She swallowed again and looked up at him, teeth clenched.

Sesshoumaru's hands smoothed their way up her arms to rest on her shoulders, gripping her slick shirt and arms tightly. "Insignificant little human," he said, his voice so low and so soft, almost seductive. He bent his face to hers so that his lips were a hairs breadth away. "_Come home_…" and he pressed his lips to her soft lips and kissed her in the rain.

The demon lord pulled away to see the miko's blushing face. He closed his eyes and softly nudged her nose with his, swallowing thickly. "Kagome," he said quietly, almost inaudible. "What was my brother to you?" The question came out strained. It had sat in Sesshoumaru's throat for a long time and he was only now able to ask. When she didn't answer right away, his eyes fluttered open to see her staring from his lips to his eyes.

Her cheeks hit another notch of red and she took a deep breath and reached a trembling hand up to touch the side of his rain-dappled cheek with feather light fingertips. "A…" she began, searching for the right words. She had not known he would ever ask her a question like that. She swallowed again as his hands slid up from her shoulders to cup the sides of her face. "A lot," she whispered.

Sesshoumaru felt something inside him drop like lead, as he looked desperately at the young woman he was holding, hoping it wasn't true. His gaze dropped dejectedly from hers when…

"But," slowly she threaded her fingers through his moist satin hair, sending odd shivers down his spine that made his eyes flicker closed for a moment. "I think… you might mean more…" before she could even will herself to say the words they came out naturally, dripping off her tongue smoothly.

And suddenly without any hint other than a glint in the eye, he was back, holding her closely, kissing her in the way she had dreamed of for so long. She whimpered against him, almost weakly, her hand left his soaked hair, and she twined her arms around his neck.

As they both stood in the rain together, Kagome realized that if her Mother came home and found her with him, she might get a bit angry. Or confused. Something. Kagome broke away from him, looking up with heavy lidded eyes.

"We, uh, should… be getting…" she felt the door behind her with her hand, still facing the demon. When her hand came across the doorknob, she turned and pushed into the door. It didn't open. "Oh, right, it's locked…" she said a little dazed.

Sesshoumaru examined the odd door for a second and it's lock, and carefully pressed his claw into the keyhole. After a moment of listening closely, he heard it 'click' and the door opened.

"Wow, you have a few hidden talents. Who knew you could unlock doors, too?" She said, impressed, as she stepped into the house and kicking her shoes off.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, slightly intrigued. "What other talent is it that I have you did not know of?"

"Oh, well…" '_Well, I had no idea you were such a good kisser… but I can keep that to myself.' _She thought, her cheeks staining red once again. "Just take off your shoes and follow me upstairs." She said, continuing through the house.

Last time he had come to her time, he had thought of himself to highly to be respectful and remove his foot attire, but now he listened obediently, slipping shoes off and following her. As he came to the stairs he noticed her family had replaced that box he had destroyed some time back. He thought to break the new one, too, but decided against it. He had no motive, anyways. He set his eyes forward and made quick work of the stairs.

Kagome rung her hair out, completely ignoring the fact that she let out a decent amount of water splash to her floor in doing so. Then she thought of the amount of water Sesshoumaru's hair had to be retaining. He stood in her doorway, watching her maneuver around her room, still wearing her soaked clothing. Though he could say that he didn't mind how it was plastered to her body, showing off all of the right places.

Kagome retrieved a towel and tossed it to Sesshoumaru. "Dry yourself off." She instructed. The youkai ignored her command and let the cloth slide out of his claws as he stepped forward to her. Kagome was in the process of getting something out of her closet when she felt a hand on her back, pushing her forward. Kagome, after nearly tripping over her own feet, looked back with a confused look just in time to see him shut the door.

"Hey, what are you doing? Now I can't see…" She groaned.

"Too bad for you," he said. "I can see perfectly in the dark."

"Well, that's _just _great-" she almost shrieked when she felt him kiss her. Not that she minded, it just startled her. She moaned softly and pressed forward. "You know," she murmured, pulling away only enough to whisper in his ear. "If my mother comes home and finds us in here, I could get in trouble."

Sesshoumaru let out a short, curt laugh. "Are you under the impression that I care?" Then he was kissing her neck, bathing her rain scented skin with his tongue, dragging dangerous fangs along her collarbone. He had waited so long to taste her, so _long, _and she was great, better than he had imagined. The way she moved beneath him, the way she whispered his name, it was all perfect. It just fit into place.

"Nnng… Sesshoumaru?" She said softly. The only answer she got was odd growl. "I think we should stop…"

He stopped then but his mouth was still so close to her skin. "Why?" He whispered hoarsely, his hands still roaming her body.

"I don't…" she began, a little nervous. Although she was a little embarrassed to admit it, she had never really had a boyfriend. She had been asked out, and kissed, but she had never had a relationship. "I just don't want to go any farther… yet…"

Sesshoumaru raised his aim and gave her a quick kiss on the lips, not speaking, but just understanding.

Kagome smiled and slid her arms around him and hugged him. "Thank you so much, Sesshoumaru…"

"Kagome…" someone called from downstairs.

The hairs on Kagome's neck stood on end for a half second before she pulled her self off the Taiyoukai. "My Mother's home!" She nearly tripped trying to find the doorknob. "Stay in here, just for a minute."

Kagome rushed out of the closet and downstairs. "Hi, Mama," she said with a smile.

"Kagome," her mother said, approaching her. "How'd you get the door open? I noticed you had left your keys here…"

"Oh, that…"

"And you're soaked!" She exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Oh… well on the way home, I got caught in the rain…"

Her mother frowned slightly. "Well you get back upstairs and get cleaned up and get to sleep. I don't want you catching a cold."

"Yes, Mom." Kagome said, and ran back up the stairs. When she opened her door, she found Sesshoumaru sitting on her bed, looking through her nightstand drawer.

"_Ahem_." She cleared her throat loudly. Sesshoumaru barely spared her a glance before picking up a small pink book with a tiny lock. "Hey, that's my diary, put it down!"

For one of the first times, Sesshoumaru smiled. "Why? Is it important to you?"

"I just… write stuff in there. I don't need you reading what I'm thinking all the time." She came forward and snatched the book from him. "Okay?"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer her, but took a fistful of her sweatshirt and pulled her down to kiss him. After a moment Kagome finally pulled away to stand up straight. "I've been meaning to ask you… how did you get through the well without the jewel?"

That was a good question. And Sesshoumaru didn't really know the answer. Alls he remembered was sitting by the well, and pondering if he should go back for her, and the well just let him through. "I do not know."

Kagome pulled the wet sweatshirt over her head to reveal a far less-wet tank top. "Just sit here and be a good boy while I go change." She said as she made her way to the door, and when her hand was on the doorknob, she shot him a glare. "And don't touch anything." About ten minutes later, she returned, wearing a pair of black shorts and a blue tank top, drying her hair with a towel. Sesshoumaru was sitting obediently on her bed, not messing around with anything, just like he was told.

"What are you wearing?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her choice in revealing clothing.

"What? It's my pajamas." She said.

He nodded and began to slide off his haori.

Kagome swallowed and blushed a little bit. "W-what are you doing?"

"Well, I cannot sleep in _all_ of my soaked clothing, can I?" He slid his arms free and a small slip of paper fell to the floor.

Kagome knelt down and picked it up. "What's this?" She turned the paper and saw that it was picture of her wearing a dress. "You took this from me!" She stood back up and waved it in his face, her other hand locked on her hip.

Sesshoumaru watched the image in her hand fly in front of his face. He had actually forgotten that he had it. "Well…" he began, but stopped, not sure how to phrase his words.

Kagome watched his face and began laughing, holding her stomach.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked.

"Be…because!! I've never seen you looked confused before!!! It's hilarious!" She fell backward onto the bed, still laughing.

"If you must know why I took it from you, it was because I thought you were very pretty."

Kagome abruptly stopped laughing. He had her there. He smiled as she completely forgot the fact that he had taken the photo and looked at him.

"You… did?"

"I _do._"

Kagome blushed further still and rolled on her side to face away from him. '_This is so weird… this all happened so fast…'_ she touched a finger to her lips and the memory of him kissing her so softly outside in the rain came to mind and she felt her heart speed up. And now realizing that he was in her room with her, and without his shirt, no less, didn't help. It was a great time to get nervous.

"Let's get to bed." She said quickly, hoping to sleep off the nervousness. She got up and switched off the light. She pulled back the covers and slid into the bed and rolled on her side. "Are we going back tomorrow?" She asked quietly.

He mumbled a yes and he rolled on his side and trapped her in his arms, pulling her against his chest. For a long time, she stayed up, listening to the sound of his breathing as he burrowed his nose in her hair, before finally falling asleep.

**Author Note: **Hehe, I had a lot of fun with this chapter! I know I didn't do that well (and my chapters are still short, DAMN!!! And I didn't really edit it), but I still hope you liked it. I actually completely forgot about him taking the photo of her for a while, and just remembered (I do things like that a lot). But yeah, the lyrics I put in (they're in bold) are from a song called "That Day It Begins" By Minawo (the translated lyrics are in parentheses)I liked the lyrics, and I had never put any in a story before, so I thought I'd try it out. All that stuff aside, please, please, and please review. Love you all!!


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Author Note: **It's been a long time since I've written anything (and some of you have noticed, hehe sorry) I'm probably gonna stop thank each individual review within the next few chapters (sorry!) It's just taking up a tad too much room. But I still love you all!!! I know my chapters are getting worse and worse, but maybe I'll get better again one day! I'm really happy because my friend told me the boy I like is going to ask me out, so yay!! But I won't trouble you guys with my girly problems, so onto the story!!!

**Disella**: Thank you soooo much! **Kyome- Kouyou no Isshi**: Thanks!! Haha, Yukio is a problem (he's just a pain in the ass, haha) **SilVer-mOOn-LiGHt-kAGURa**: Aww!! Thank you so much!!! And Happy Holidays to you, too!! **The Kikyo Hater**: Thank you!! **Chicana**: Haha, no, I didn't stop :D. Yay!! Haha, and your vocab seems pretty good **alana124pyro: **Yay!!! Thanks million!!! **Gothgirl8892: **Ah, I know it was short sob I just suck like that, haha. I know, I'm gonna have fun with this, hehe **nekoAmi30: **Thank you so much, dear! Aww!! When I read your review it made me so happy!! glomp I'll try and get more chapters up! **ali**: Thank you!!! Ha, I know what you mean. I don't like some stories when they just jump right into that stuff, haha. Thank you again!!! **Tsuki Tenshi**: AHH!! Don't be depressed! Ha, wow, I guess I made you hyper haha, your welcome! Thank you for reviewing!!! **Mandy: **AH! I'm glad I portrayed him alright! Haha, I know what you mean (hehe, 'floofy' I like that word) so yes, it makes sense. I will continue!! **pixie-love: **I know, I'll clear up the whole 'Sesshy through the well thing' at one point (I already have it planned :D). Thank you so much!! **yukai666: **Thank you very very much! **Kitsune6**: Thank you so much!! I probably did add the 's' by accident. My keyboard has gotten really bad lately and it makes it harder to type sometimes, and I don't always spell check. Thank you again! **AtomicKittenOnTheLoose: **I'm trying to update, buy my mind keeps blanking out! XD Thank you!

I know that some of my thanks aren't very individual or unique to the reviewer, but I want you all to know that I am thankful for every review I receive, and you are all much appreciated!

**Chapter Fourteen**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome dropped down to her knees and stared down the well. "You're sure you don't know how you got through? I had the jewel… so…"

Sesshoumaru stood next to her, arms crossed, peering into the well, too. "I do not know. I told you that already."

Kagome groaned frustratingly and stood up, slipping her back pack over her shoulders. "I hate this. I don't understand it at all!" She kicked the side of the well and stubbed her toe. "Ow!" She balanced on her good foot, Sesshoumaru chuckling next to her.

"Let's get going." He said, casually slipping his arm around her waist and tugging her to him, jumping into the well with her.

Kagome couldn't help but blush at the sudden closeness to him. She diverted her eyes and tried to concentrate on the sensation of the magic swirling around them, carrying them to the Feudal Era. Sesshoumaru barely looked over enough to see her looking away, her cheeks tinted red, and tightened his arm to get a satisfying surprised squeak from her.

They landed on the other side and Sesshoumaru scooped her up and leapt out with her. Once they were out Kagome squirmed a little and let her down. "Thanks." She said, drawing a line in the crisp snow with the toe of her shoe.

Sesshoumaru turned in the designated direction and once again slipped an arm around her waist. "Let's go."

When Kagome and Sesshoumaru were close enough to the castle, he removed his arm from around her, leaving her suddenly cold. "I do not think it would be wise to tell Yukio of our position." He concentrated solely on the feeling of the snow crunching beneath his feet, attempting not to think of how Yukio would react if he knew about him and Kagome.

"Oh…" Kagome said. "Why-"

"Just … don't." He cut her off.

"Alright." His words may have seemed curt, but she knew that now he was only looking out for her best interests. Or at least it seemed like it with him. Although he and she had a newer understanding of each other, he still kept his usual stoic and masked expressions most of the time.

"Well," Kagome chirped very perkily. "I'm going to put my stuff inside. I'll see you later." She said, and ran off.

Sesshoumaru looked away when she had smiled at him. It was odd, but it seemed that when she was happy, he wanted to smile himself. He strayed from it though, because if any demons in the area saw him, they might think he was growing weak. He waited till she had disappeared in the castle before leaving to make his patrol along the borders of his territory.

Kagome knelt down next to her backpack and dug through it, looking for a hair band to tie her hair back.

"You and Sesshoumaru-sama were gone an awfully long time, weren't you?"

Kagome jumped and nearly fell backward before she realized that Yukio was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and staring down at her rather coldly.

"Oh… well, I had to go back to my… err, home, to-"

"I thought you left to visit the grave of your beloved hanyou and friends?" He raised an eyebrow at her, green eyes flicking red for a millisecond.

Kagome suddenly felt guilty about her actions with the Taiyoukai, and thought of what InuYasha would think of her for loving him.

"Well, yeah, but I…" Kagome's voice trailed off as he knelt down in front of her and looked her in the eye, studying her closely like a piece of abstract art.

"You reek of him…" he stated, leaning in closer and sniffing her.

Kagome stammered out excuses as to why she might have Sesshoumaru's scent on her when his hand lifted her chin, raising her gaze to his.

"You and he…" he said, still glaring. His hand left, and before Kagome could back away he slapped her. "_Whore_." He hissed.

The sting of the slap brought tears to her eyes as she stared at him in disbelief, scrambling to her feet. " '_Whore_'?!" She exclaimed. "How dare you call me-"

Yukio stood.

"-call me…a-a…." she lost her words as anger overcame her and she slapped him in return. His face turned to the side from the contact, but other than that, he didn't flinch, didn't even blink. She suddenly realized that she might have made a mistake as his slowly reddening eyes slid to her. "I'm sorry!" She quickly spat out, and backed up until she bumped into the wall.

Yukio remained silent, but kept her pinned with his lethal stare. "I'm sorry…" she said more quietly. "I didn't know what I was…" he stepped forward and she cast her head downward, trying not to look at him.

She was suddenly facing him again as he took a fistful of her hair jerked her head up. She bit into her lip, trying not to whimper.

"You - are- a -whore." He said slowly, annunciating each word carefully before aggressively taking possession of her lips with his own. Kagome whined against him and tried to push him off, but he doubled his efforts, taking one her wrists and locking high above her head. When she squirmed he growled against her, tightening his hold on her wrist so her hand went numb.

Yukio finally pulled off of her and she slid to the floor, sobbing into her hands.

Yukio wiped his mouth and stared down at her. "You tell Sesshoumaru about this, and I'll kill the both of you." He snarled, then left the room.

Kagome took in a deep, shuddering breath and tried as hard as she could not to scream. The tears burned her eyes and she began to claw at her arms and legs. She felt so dirty, so _disgusting._ She held herself as tightly as possible, hoping maybe the feeling of his hands on her would subside after time. But a question now plagued her mind: would she tell Sesshoumaru?

Yukio dragged his claws along the wooden walls as he walked, each footstep screaming his anger. His claws dug furrows into the nice wood, but he didn't care about his so-called 'masters' home. He finally stopped at one point and sighed, then with no warning slammed his fist into the wall.

"Dammit…" he growled, watching the blood trickle from the broken skin on his knuckles. He was, by no means, in love with the girl, but rather in lust. And the fact that a demon he had grown to dislike very much had successfully courted her angered him. Yukio was not one to lose at anything for long. He pulled his hand away from the wall and shook it limply, letting splinters of wood fall from it.

He turned and when he began to walk forward, he heard something from behind him. He whipped around to find that no one was there. A gruff growl slipped through his throat as he turned to go on his way when he saw a man standing in front of him.

"Who the hell…" Yukio began, when the man in front of him, very calmly, held up a hand to stop his speech.

"You do not need to know who I am." He said, combing a hand through his cascading brown hair. "Do you wish for revenge on the Taiyoukai?" Although the image he presented said calm, his voice held an obvious lethal tone to it.

"Are you making a deal with me?" Yukio raised an eyebrow and pinned him with a glare.

"Perhaps," the man said, and just as Yukio's bright eyes locked with the other mans red ones, he felt his heart pulse once, then stop. Yukio choked and felt the strength drain from his knees as they buckled beneath him. The strange man before him held his pale hand out in front of him and waited for a moment, and then Yukio felt it. He could feel the pull of his soul in his body, as though it were being drawn by a magnet. Slowly, a bright white orb passed through his chest, leaving him suddenly hollow and empty feeling.

"My…" Yukio's eyes began to droop slightly, and he swayed a little. "…soul…" he murmured.

The man before him held the soul in his hand, and then his fingers tightened around it, dimming the eerie white glow around it. Yukio felt the breath in his lungs heave out, but strangely, he didn't care anymore. All sense of purpose was draining away as his soulless eyes locked onto the new keeper of his soul.

"Yukio," the man said, as the soul dissipated from his hand. "Will you serve under me?"

Kagome had gone through the grueling process of changing into her pajamas, getting herself ready to go to bed early that night. Maybe she could sleep it off. She pulled back the covers off of her pallet and settled herself in, covering herself and sighing deeply. Without welcome, she would get sudden flashbacks of Yukio, being so forceful with her. He hadn't seemed like that when she had met him. Thinking more on the subject, she realized that not everyone is what they seem at first. Sesshoumaru then came into her mind and she felt the familiar butterflies stir in her stomach, followed by the heavy weighing-down of dread. What would she tell him, if she told him anything at all? She had to be careful, now that Yukio had threatened to slay them both if she spoke of it. She shook her head and tightened her delicate and pale hands on the hem of the bed.

"Just don't think about it, Kagome…" she told herself, trying to drown out the worrying thoughts. She rolled onto her side, facing the window wearing moonlight was seeping in. She yawned once, then found herself drifting to sleep.

"Kagome…" she heard her name being called, weaving its way into her dream. She stirred slightly in her slumber and awoke. She looked around the room, still dazed and groggy. She found she was still facing the window, but the moonlight had shifted, showing her that she had slept for an hour or at least. She brushed off the odd dream and rolled onto her other side and yawned. When she opened her eyes she was looking a pair of feet, not even a foot from her, and she slowly let her eyes travel up till they were staring at the pale face of Yukio, who seemed half asleep.

She was suddenly pulled from her sleepy state and she sat up, putting some distance between them.

Yukio dropped down to his knees, very limply, and crawled towards her. Kagome didn't make a noise though, although her face showed her discomfort to the situation. When Yukio was in front of her, which it had seemed to take hours, he stare at her with blank eyes.

"W-whats wrong with you?" She whispered, searching his eyes for a sign of life, of anything.

Yukio didn't speak as he lifted his hand and curled it behind her neck, claws scratching her skin. Kagome tried to crane her neck away from him, but in increased the pressure of his claws, so much that two of them broke the skin and Kagome could feel the blood trickle down the back of her shirt. Kagome winced slightly as it happened, but kept calm, being careful not to make any sudden movements when she caught sight of his other hand, pulling up his pant leg where she saw a weapon holster, and he pulled out a long, thin needle. Kagome swallowed thickly, and was sure he felt it on his hand, as he brought the needle to her neck and barely pricked the skin. Finally, he released her, and she felt a bit woozy. He stayed kneeling in front of her as he continued to watch her with blank eyes as her vision blurred a little. It soon became obvious to her that the needle had poisoned her, if only a little, but it was taking effect quickly enough. The last thing she remembered seeing that night were his glazed eyes, staring at her so vacantly.

**Author Note: **DON'T KILL ME!! I did not mean to end the chapter so short (it's actually far far too short for my tastes, and I didn't even realize it was that short at first), but for one: it seemed like a good place to end it, and two: I haven't had anything up for so long, I needed to put up a chapter. Soooo I'd love to thank all of you that have hung in there with my sucky writing up to this point. Again, I apologize for any errors and whatnot. So please review if you'd please and I'll do my best to get another chapter up soon :D. (and i'll try not to suck so bad, XD)


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Author Note: **I really want to thank all of you for reviewing! Unfortunately (and to my great surprise) I've been getting quite a few reviews and now it is difficult for me to mention all of you without taking up a bit of room. But I want you all to know that I appreciate it very much, and it's your kind words and suggestions that keep me going. I'm hoping to finish this story soon, but I'm not sure if there will be a happy ending or not. But I still need to figure that out. And another thing; I barely went over this, so if there are things missing or just stupid little mistakes, I apologize.

I know I need to get up some more stories, so if any of you have a request or any good ideas of what else I could write about, please let me know, I'm desperate o.O.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the characters of InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me sob.

**Chapter Fifteen**

**I'm Only Human**

Sesshoumaru had returned that night after scanning his territory he found that his castle was far too quiet, other than Rin coming to greet him as usual.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru said, scenting the air and looking around. "Where is Kagome?"

Rin looked up at him with a slightly confused expression. "Kagome… I don't know. I didn't even see her. She's probably in her room." Rin pushed the thought out of her head as she locked her arms around his waist. "You and Kagome-chan were gone for a long time." She stated to him.

Sesshoumaru simply patted her on the head and rushed her off to bed, claiming it was too late for her to be awake, and she obeyed without conflict. He made his way down the hall, and when he began to near Kagome's room, he saw a large hole in the wall, followed by claw marks. His stomach dropped and he almost panicked as he rushed to Kagome's room and barged in, only to find a mess of blankets, but no girl.

"Kagome…" he said quietly, smelling only her scent in the room… then Yukio's.

Kagome twitched a little in her sleep, groaning as her shady eyes fluttered open. Her head felt like she had been hit with a hammer. She attempted to sit up, but soon found out that was not such a wise idea, and she fell to the side and her head smacked against a cold stone floor. "God… damn…" she moaned, and shut her eyes, hoping maybe the pulsing pain her body felt would subside soon enough.

Murmuring voices made their way into her ears, but they were faint, as though her ears were plugged, so she couldn't make out their identity. The voices drew nearer, and from what she could understand, she heard, "she's awake."

She cracked her sore eyes open and looked up to see two cloaked figures standing above her, one with a more obvious feminine shape, even with the hooded garb, and the other she could only assume was a male.

"W…whe…" Kagome couldn't speak properly, but tried her hardest.

"Where are you?" The male said. "I don't think you should be concerned with where you are, Kagome-chan."

"Wh…who…"

The man laughed, his hooded face staring straight down at her. "You don't remember? Can you not recognize me by my voice?" He shook his head and laughed again, reaching up to pull the hood off of his head. Deep golden eyes stared down at her through a veil of silver hair.

If had been hard for Kagome to speak before, she was speechless now. Looking up at those familiar golden eyes sucked the breath from her lungs and nearly stopped her heart.

"I…Inu…" her voice came out parched, so much that it hurt her throat now.

"Glad you remember _now._" InuYasha scoffed, placing one hand on his hip. "Having fun while I've been _dead_, Kagome?" Now he was crouched down and pinning her with a glare.

"How… how are you alive?" She said, hot tears streaming from her eyes, making a river down her pale cheeks.

"Keh. Does it matter? I'm back now, and then I find out that you run off with my brother. What kind of a _whore _are you?" He hissed at her, narrowing his eyes. Kagome couldn't hold her stare and looked away. If she could move, she'd back away, but she lay limp on the ground, listening to her former love's harsh and angry words. How could he have become so bitter?

Kagome whimpered, and thought to spill apologies to him, beg for his forgiveness. But the young miko had changed since the hanyou's demise. She loved him still, in some far part of her heart, but with the realization that he was dead, she knew he was no longer the same, and would never be the same hanyou she loved.

"After all of our years together…" she tried to moved, grimacing at the pain she felt. "How _dare _you…" she was on her knees now, and she looked at him straight in the eyes. "…call me that. I'm sick of it. I thought you could be happy for me at least after death, InuYasha." Kagome looked down at her shaking hands and clenched them into fists. "I guess I was wrong."

InuYasha spared her one last glance before standing, the still-cloaked woman coming to his side and slipping her arm around his. Kagome studied the woman. "Who is she? And why did you take me here?"

InuYasha grinned, just like his old self, and reached his hand behind the woman and pulled the hood off of her. Kikyou stood, smiling very devilishly down at her.

Kagome thought as much. Kikyou more than likely went to track down InuYasha's grave after Kagome told her of his demise, and she drew his soul back from the beyond and housed it in a clay body, just like her own.

The young miko reincarnate took the time to observe her surroundings when it become silent. She was in a narrow cave, every so many feet the ceiling and walls were braced by wooden panels, and torches were held in brackets, lighting the path down. "Where are we?" She asked, finding the strength to stand up, although her legs protested to the action.

Kikyou turned on a deft heel, and began to leave, InuYasha trailing obediently behind her. It angered Kagome to see him like that. When he was brought back, Kikyou probably filled his head with lies or twisted true events so that he became a completely different person. Kagome never thought that Kikyou would sink so low.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she almost lost sight of the two and followed them, though keeping a safe distance between. InuYasha would look back at her every now and then, catching her eyes, and would quickly turn away again, as though he hadn't looked at all.

'_Sesshoumaru…' _Kagome thought to herself, holding a hand above her heart. Her fingers spread slightly and she felt the bare skin of her neck. She felt again and there was nothing. '_The jewel…!'_ "Which one of you took the jewel?!" She blurted, stopping just as they began to approach a light towards the end.

Kikyou stopped and smiled. When she turned, she reached into her sleeve and pulled out the jewel, string still attached. Kagome looked at it now and saw the dark aura threatening to taint it completely.

"Give it back!" Kagome yelled, and ran forward, hand outstretched. Kikyou then pulled it just out of her reach and InuYasha took the opportunity to shove Kagome back. Kagome stumbled backward and regained her balance before she fell. "What are you going to do with it?" Kagome panted, glaring at Kikyou now.

The older miko tossed the jewel in the air once and caught it, carefully stowing it back into her haori. "You'll just have to find out when Sesshoumaru gets here." She grinned as she turned.

"Sesshoumaru!" She gasped. "What are you going to do to him?!" She demanded.

InuYasha was still facing, and if Kagome had been looking at him, she might have thought he looked remorseful. That was how she used to be about him. so defensive. But now… she had forgotten him. She would no longer look at him the same. The hanyou tuned and tucked his arm around Kikyou's waist, as they continued.

Kagome now stood in the center of a room, no windows, the only light provided by lanterns hung from the rafters of the ceiling. In front of her, a man sat on a cushion, hood hiding his face. On both sides of him there were two people, all clad in similar garb. Kikyou and InuYasha stood on either sides of the young Miko, making sure she didn't attempt escape.

"Who…" Kagome began quietly, when the man directly in front of her held up a hand to silence her.

"Kikyou." She heard his snake like voice come out from the depths of the hood. He raised his pale hand and pulled the hood from his face, and Naraku sat smiling at her, the same way he had always smiled. Even after death his reincarnation was just as sinister. "Bring me the jewel."

Kikyou left her post at Kagome's side and came forward to hand Naraku the jewel. Kagome narrowed her eyes as she tightened her hands. The once great priestess and protector of the Shikon no Tama was handing the sacred jewel over to the demon that could most abuse its power. Kikyou shifted her position to kneel down by his side so there were now three people on one side of him.

"Kikyou… what has he done make you turn into this?" Kagome said softly, looking down at the wooden planks of the floor.

Naraku dangled the jewel from his thin fingers, letting it reflect the dim light from the lanterns and cast it back to the wall. His fingers clamped tight around the jewel and when he opened his hand again, the jewel had been split into six large shards.

"What are you doing?!" Kagome shouted, almost attempting to get to her feet to go and take the shards from the demon.

Naraku didn't answer, but looked to the two hooded figures next to him and told them to rise and come to him. They did as told and shuffled weakly to him, stopping in front of him. "Kagome-chan, I have a surprise for you." Naraku said with a grin, as he pressed a shard into one of the figures back. He silently slipped a shard into the others back, too, and they both became very still. "Take off your cloaks." Naraku said quietly.

The dark garments fell at their feet, and Kagome was almost afraid to look up and see what might be standing there. She slowly opened her eyes and they immediately met with a pair of hazel eyes, eyes that once held endless warmth and compassion, but were now blank and soulless.

"S-Sango?" Kagome stuttered, as she looked from the huntress to the man next to her. "H-houshi-sama?" She whispered. Kagome mentally cursed herself. She should've known that Naraku would do something like this, but she had refused to believe he would bring them _all_ back. And because of lying to herself, she couldn't even move because of the shock.

"Houshi, Huntress," Naraku began, "where are your manners? Welcome your friend."

Miroku's blank eyes looked around the room for a moment, confused, before he noticed Kagome sitting in front of him. He took his staff and raised it to swing at her, just as Kagome got a hold of herself and moved out of the way.

Naraku handed Sango her once trusted boomerang, and even after death, Sango could hold the heavy thing as though it were a feather. The taijya held the weapon for a moment, just staring at it. Kagome assumed she was still getting used to having a body again. Sango then reared the large weapon back, and Kagome knew that she couldn't get away from Sango. Kagome braced her arms in front of her and cringed, ready for that painful blow, when nothing happened. Kagome nearly screamed when she heard the earsplitting sound of metal clashing and looked up to see that Sango was still, holding the Hiraikotsu high above her head, but she was staring somewhere behind Kagome.

Kagome looked back and saw the hanyou standing in front of the doorway to the room, bracing an inferior sword against another. InuYasha let out a strangled growl as he was thrown the side.

Sesshoumaru stood, breathing heavily, looking far more worn than he should have, than he ever had, holding the transformed fang that had belonged to his brother in his hand. His golden eyes blazed like a fire in the dimly lit room as he stared down his dead brother. "Half-breed," the words felt good on his lips. He thought that he had made some peace with his brother before he died, thought he would never say those words again because it would hurt Kagome to hear him say it, but he didn't care at that moment.

"Sesshoumaru, Sesshoumaru," Naraku shook his head, drumming his fingers on the wooden floor. "You broke through my barrier, you pest."

Sesshoumaru hadn't even looked at Kagome yet, but he knew she was there. He could only imagine how uneasy she had to be, seeing InuYasha and her friends back like this, after she had seen them killed before her very eyes. Sesshoumaru held the sword over his head, and just as he was about to unleash the Wind Scar, Naraku whipped one of the jewel shards in his hand out and it embedded itself into the Taiyoukai's neck.

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened and his hands quivered on the hilt of his sword.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome whispered, staring up at him as blood trickled from his neck where the jewel was.

"He will not be able to move until I tell him to." Naraku informed, and he stood and placed the remaining jewel shards in the other to hooded figures. Once their cloaks were off, Kagome recognized Ritsu and Yukio sitting there, just as blank and Sango and Miroku.

"Let him go!" Kagome said, as she got to her feet. "You can keep me here, but just let him go."

Sesshoumaru tried moving his mouth, his arms, his fingers, but nothing worked. All he could was stand there and breathe, watching the torment Naraku was putting Kagome through when he couldn't prevent it.

"I am tempted by your offer priestess," Naraku said, turning to her, "but I have other plans for the both of you."

**Author Note: **I really hope this turned out alright, and I hope it wasn't confusing or anything. Just let me know if it was! I know a lot of you are gonna chew me out for being so slow with my updating, but I apologize!! I used to update so fast, but I've had so much on my mind that it's been hard to get inspired lately.

And yukai666; I'll try and finish the picture you requested as soon as possible! Forgive me for being slow!


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Author Note: **I've tried to get this chapter done quickly, but it didn't work . It's probably really bad so don't blame me! The reviews I got for the last chapter were absolutely delightful and I was very glad that you guys like it so much. I'm very surprised that some of you are even reading this still, because I take so long to update ;. My bad. I think I mentioned it before, this story is winding down now. I'm not sure what other stories I might write. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I'm thinking I might do another SessxKag or maybe a Naruto fic (helpful ideas would be appreciated!). I'm not sure though, but I hope I find out by the time I'm done writing this! Well, here's the next chapter everyone!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the characters of InuYasha… I just like to torture them, hehe (no I don't, I'm kidding) but they're still not mine. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Chapter Sixteen**

**I'm Only Human**

"Sesshoumaru," Naraku said, casually turning his back. "Drop your sword."

Sesshoumaru just looked at Naraku like he was a mad man, as though he would listen to him. But he realized he was wrong as his hands quivered on the swords handle, begging for release.

"You see Sesshoumaru, you forgot that a shard of the jewel has been embedded in you neck. I can control you because it is tainted by my miasma. Isn't that wonderful?" He chuckled and crossed his arms. "Now drop it." His tone was dark and foreboding, and not even a second after his command, the Tetsusaiga fell to the floor with a loud crash, transforming back into a regular, rusty sword.

"Now," Naraku was saying, "you see Kagome there?" He pointed to Kagome, still standing with a bewildered look on her face.

"No…" Sesshoumaru whispered to himself.

"Yes…" Naraku said, words sounding snakish and harsh.

"Sesshoumaru, what are you doing?!" Kagome said as she took a step back, as Sesshoumaru took an unintentional step forward. "Fight it!"

"I…" Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth, dreading the thought of what Naraku might make him do.

Naraku opened his mouth to give another command when he was struck against the side of the head and knocked over.

InuYasha stared down at the man he had struck, his chest heaving.

"InuYasha!" Kikyou shouted, coming to him and getting right in his face. "What do you think you're doing, you stupid-"

"Hurry and go!" InuYasha looked over his shoulder to Kagome. Kagome stared back at him for a moment, wondering what his intentions were. By that time Kikyou had taken InuYasha's cloak in her fists and was pulling on it, yelling at him about ruining their plan.

Sesshoumaru was frozen in place now that Naraku was on the ground and no long giving him commands.

Kagome looked from InuYasha to Sesshoumaru, and as she was about to tell him she wouldn't leave, the Taiyoukai opened his mouth and yelled at her to leave. Before Kagome could think she had been swept up and was being taken away from the place.

Kagome hadn't even seen who was taking her away, but when they stopped in the forest, she got a good look at her captor.

"InuYasha, what are you-" she started to say, but he clamped his hand over her mouth.

"Shh…" he whispered, putting a finger to his lips and looked up at the forest canopy. The sky was dark and the moon was cloaked by the clouds. "Stay quiet."

Kagome gave him a warning look and then pulled his hand off of her mouth. "What are you doing?!" She snapped at him. "Are you bipolar or something?"

InuYasha took a step back and gave her that confused look he had given her many times before. "What the fuck are you talking about?! I'm not bipolar!" He shouted, forgetting his need for silence.

Kagome held her fists at her sides as she fumed. "First you couldn't even give a damn about me, and you were with Naraku, now you're saving me?! I don't understand this!"

"It doesn't matter now." He scoffed, turning his back to her. "You're safe so forget it."

"I'm not forgetting it. You just completely flipped your attitude! How do I know this isn't some trick? That's probably it, isn't it?!" She began to rant as she walked in a circle, talking to herself, thinking of the evil things that InuYasha might be planning, when she stopped and looked at him. "You did this to get me away from Sesshoumaru, didn't you?" She said quietly. "You don't want me to be there with him because…"

"He'd hurt you while he's under Naraku's control, idiot." InuYasha provided.

"But I have to go back!" She exclaimed. "I have to help him!" She began to take off when InuYasha quickly looped an arm around her stomach and stopped her.

"No you don't, you'll be killed." InuYasha stated plainly, holding her back as she struggled in his grip.

"I'm in danger either way, it doesn't matter what happens to me!" She screamed out, clawing at the arms holding her back. "Let go of me!"

"Stop acting like a child!" InuYasha blared, and for a moment she was still and silent. "Just shut up and come with me." He said, and began dragging her off in another direction.

When the Inu Hanyou had come to his destination, Kagome had nearly worn herself out from her rebellious behavior. He let go of her and she slumped down to her knees. When she did lift her head she was facing a well. _The_ well.

"What are we doing here?" She asked a little unnerved, reaching her hand out and touching the familiar woodwork that she had climbed through so many times.

"You're three years older than you were from the day I met you and your still an idiot." He scoffed as he crossed his arms. Even if she didn't notice it, it was still hard for those hurtful words to pass through his lips.

Kagome got to her feet and set her hands on her hips. "What do you mean?! I am not an idiot!"

It was hard for InuYasha to take her there. If it were up to him, he would have stayed dead and in peace. He just looked at her for a moment, his eyes saying something more serious than the old InuYasha's.

"Why are you looking at me like that…" she said, as she looked away from him, trying to escape his gaze.

InuYasha took a deep breath and tightened his hands into fists at his side. "Goodbye… Kagome." He whispered, then took a step forward and laid a soft, ghost-like kiss on her lips, before pushing her backward and down the well.

Sesshoumaru stood frozen in place, waiting in motionless agony for Naraku to rise and command him to go after and Kagome, and Kami knows what after that.

The monk, the huntress, and his former servant all stood still, eyes vacant and waiting for their master's command, and then there was Kikyou, kneeling next to Naraku.

Naraku's shoulder twitched, and he pushed himself up to his knees, his hair hanging like an obsidian waterfall over his shoulders and blocking his face.

"Where did that half-breed go?" He snarled softly, throwing a glare at the priestess.

"He ran off with Kagome. Bastard…" she whispered, but Naraku caught a lock of her hair and pulled on it roughly, getting a yelp out of her.

"Kikyou, you go and you kill that dog!"

"But master, you promised that if I brought you Sesshoumaru and Kagome, you let him live!" She pleaded.

Naraku looked away, disgusted with the deceased priestess before him, and lashed out an arm and slapped her so hard she fell to the side. "Sesshoumaru, I think you know what you need to do." Naraku said. "Go after your brother and the girl." Just as Sesshoumaru thought that would be all, Naraku added, "and kill them both."

**Author Note: **AHHH! DON'T HURT ME PLEASE!!! (cringe) I know this took so long for me to write and its not even that good, and I KNOW its so freakin' short, but it was a good place to end the chapter (for me at least). I really am sorry that I have been taking so long to update, but I've been quite busy lately, and ideas are short now a days. So I really hope (and don't bitch at me about the length, lol) that this was alright, and I'll see if I can get started on another chapter soon! (P.S. I didn't really edit this, so once again please forgive the mistakes)


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Author Note**: OMG I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really am! Its been really hard to write for a few days because I hurt my hand (its still hurt, but I am attempting to type). And to top that, I had writers block for this story for the longest time!!! I just started writing again a few days ago. I have been real busy because every chance I get I try and get out of my house (it drives me insane). I know that some of you will hate me for taking so long, and a lot of you have probably stopped reading since it took me so long to update. All I can do is apologize for the time I took.

I'm going to Acen tomorrow!!! Maybe some of you guys will be there!!! Too bad I won't recognize you, haha.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own these characters, and I really don't have the right to abuse them in the way I have chosen, but nonetheless, I am. However, Yukio and Ritsu belong to me.

**Chapter Seventeen**

**I'm Only Human **

Sesshoumaru stood at the face of the well. It had taken him a long time to get there, with the resistance he was showing to Naraku's hold on him,. He found his dead half-brother, waiting at the well, sitting on its ledge with his arms crossed casually.

"Where is Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked, scanning the area as well as he could.

"At home." InuYasha said plainly, glaring at his brother with piercing gold eyes, equal of that of his sibling.

Kagome's scent was starting to fade from the area, but his brother wasn't lying, Kagome had gone down the well. "Did she go willingly?"

"Yes."

"Liar."

InuYasha stood and set a hand on his hip. "Did Naraku send you here to kill her?"

"He sent me to kill both of you." Sesshoumaru said quietly, as his stomach churned at the thought of Kagome's blood on his hands.

"You can go ahead and kill me, but it won't do any good. You can't go through the well anymore." InuYasha said cockily, pacing a slow circle around the InuYoukai.

"How did you know I could-"

"When Kagome and I traveled together, before I died, we were bonded by the Jewel. That was what tied us together, and allowed me passage to her time, and her to mine. Then when I died, and I made the mistake of wishing you to take care of her, I bonded you. That's why you could go to her time. Now that I'm alive again, I've broken that bond between you."

Sesshoumaru stood in the clearing, speechless. Just as his jaw was about to drop, his half-brother opened his mouth again.

"Frankly I'm glad you can't go to her. Seeing her fawn over you and worry herself to the point of tears sickened me."

When Sesshoumaru thought about it, he was somewhat glad he couldn't get to Kagome also. That way he couldn't kill her, but it meant he could never see her again.

Sesshoumaru began walking again, and he felt that tug on his soul that was Naraku controlling him. He came to and stared down the well.

"Why are you even going to try?" InuYasha asked. "You know it's not going to work."

"Imbecile…" Sesshoumaru hissed. "I'm not the one moving, it's Naraku controlling me." He said, and swung his legs over the well and dropped in.

Kagome sat on the dusty floor of the well, ankle twisted and throbbing with pain from her clumsy landing. Now more than ever, she was confused. InuYasha had hated her when he came back, then he saved her… then…

Kagome's hand traveled to her lips where he had kissed her so gently before shoving her down the well. "I don't understand any of this…" she said to herself, getting to her feet, careful not too put too much weight on her twisted ankle. With extreme ease, she grabbed the ladder hanging down in the well and she slowly climbed up. When she breached the top and left the well house, it was dark, probably after midnight. She looked around and all the lights in her house were out, but she didn't intend to go back home anyways. She was going to get her bow and arrows and go back.

She went into the shed and got her weapon, though it was a little dusty from not being used in a while. It felt right gripping the sleek wooden curve of the bow, and holding the quiver of bows on her back. It was like it used to be.

She then went back to the well and stared down at it, and without thinking, she jumped. Half a second later, she was crouched down, expecting the magic to carry her through, but when she looked up through the opening of the well, the sky was still hidden by the well house in her own time.

"What the hell is wrong with this thing?!" She shouted, pounding the ground with her fists. Then she screamed. "Sesshoumaru… if I can't go back, I can't help you…"

InuYasha sighed and set his foot on the edge of the well, his arm lain across his knee. "Sesshoumaru, get your ass back up here, you know its no use trying to get her." He waited and was only answered in silence. "Sesshoumaru?" He peered down into the dark well, and saw no sign of his brother being there anymore. "Shit!"

Kagome wiped under her eyes, dashing away the tears. "Why can't I go back?" She asked herself, shaking her hand and cradling her face in her hands.

Just when she was about to give up hope and get out of the well, everything was illuminated by a bright light and Kagome fell back and out of the way.

When Sesshoumaru came through the well, Kagome almost screamed from fright. If she couldn't get through the well, then how could he?

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, and to his great dismay, he saw Kagome sitting right in front of him, and once again, that familiar tug on his soul became present. But unlike before, it wasn't as strong.

"Sesshoumaru…" she whispered his name. "How… did you get through?" She got to her feet and brushed herself off.

"Kagome, don't come any closer to me." He said forcefully, tensing his hands at his sides.

"What do you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows and gave him a stern look with her deep blue eyes. "Sesshoumaru, I-" she took a step nearer to him and he shoved her back.

"I said stay away from me!" He snarled. "I'll hurt you."

Kagome gasped. "You're still under his control. Even here in my time." Kagome was thoroughly frightened by him now, seeing his eyes beginning to turn red, his claws lengthening, his fangs bared. He was truly a frightful being. "But I don't want to leave you."

"I don't care, just climb up that well and get away from me." Sesshoumaru hissed.

Kagome hesitated, and then he snapped at her again, his appearance becoming more demonic by the second. Against her own will, Kagome climbed up the ladder out of the well, still clutching her bow and arrows. When she had gotten out of the well house she turned around and stared back. She wasn't sure how Sesshoumaru came back, or if he would _go_ back, but she didn't want to leave him.

Sesshoumaru stood, staring up where Kagome had gotten out of the well, that force inside of him compelling him to go after her. But he knew if he did, something bad would happen. And even though that force wasn't as strong when he was in the present day, it was still strong enough to push him up that ladder. His muscles ached as he took each step of the later carefully, hoping maybe the more he climbed, the more Naraku's control over him would weaken, but that was not so. He came to the top of the well and when he stepped out of the small hut, Kagome was standing there.

'_Fool!' _He thought, '_Why didn't you go inside or somewhere away from me?!' _The sight of her sent a course of panic up his spine when he felt the urge to attack her.

"Sesshoumaru… what are you doing?" Kagome asked with an obvious quiver to her voice as the Taiyoukai raised his hand. That faint green glow surrounded his hands; he was about to use his poison talons on her. Reflexively, her hand went to her bow and she readied an arrow in it. "Sesshoumaru, stop!" She cried, the tears beginning to come down her cheeks.

"Kagome… do it. Get me before I get you. I won't stop if you don't." He said just loud enough for her to hear.

She shook her head, her hands trembled on the bow. "I won't! Stop and go back and I won't have to!" She could feel the Miko powers in her swell and force the sacred energies to the tip of her arrow.

In the blink of an eye, before Sesshoumaru could warn her, his hand came down, unleashing a neon whip towards her. It carved a deep path into the ground, and as Kagome saw it coming, she closed her eyes and her hand let go of the arrow.

**Author Note**: I know that was WAY to short of a chapter for the time that I took away. I'm so sorry, but I hope it will suffice. Please don't harp on me about how long it took for me to write again and how short this chapter was, I'd really appreciate it. R&R.

**With Love,**

BloodLustKasura


	19. Chapter Eighteen

****

Chapter Eighteen

I'm Only Human

Author Note: I just want to apologize a head of time for being away for so long. I know half of you have probably stopped reading this, or some of you might be angry because of my little 'break' but I am very sorry. My internet has been really messed up lately, and I haven't had much inspiration to write. I was just looking through some pictures a few days ago and found an adorably one of Kagome and Sesshoumaru, and it just kinda made me want to write.

This will probably be a short chapter, because I barely remember what is going on (and I'm the one that wrote it XD). So please enjoy this. I'm not sure what the outcome of the entire story will be, so if any has a suggestion, just let me know :D.

The energy around the around Kagome had release fizzled out at the least minute. It was just a regular arrow that had pierced the Taiyoukai's chest.

Be he was not the only one injured. He poison had just reached her when she got him with the arrow. Now there was a large gash on her shoulder, oozing out large amounts of blood. A bloodcurdling scream escaped her mouth as she dropped to one knee, holding the wounded shoulder with a free hand.

The arrow lodged in the demon's pectoral didn't even faze him. Blood did come from the wound at an alarming rate, but since the spiritual power had vanished, it didn't create as much of an impact as possible.

"Kagome," he said, "do it again. Don't hold back." Sesshoumaru tried to stay still, stand in that one spot, but it was proving most difficult. Every fiber of his being twitched, aching for another attack. His mind was the only thing that remained free from Naraku's power.

Kagome could speak. The pain was too overwhelming. When she tried she had to stifle her screams. If her family heard her, they would come outside to see what was happening, and then they would all be put at risk.

__

'If I can get up and lure him to the well, maybe I can get him to go back to the past.' She pushed herself with all of her remaining strength and began walking towards the well house.

"What are you doing? You can't go back." Sesshoumaru stated, but against his will, he followed her. He was growing worried about her. She was leaving a trail of blood behind her, and it only sickened him to know that it was he that caused it. Her steps faltered often, and she would almost trip before righting her path once again. She was no doubt becoming dizzy from blood loss.

They both stopped once they were inside the well house. She was going to pass out soon. The young miko was seeing two Sesshoumaru's now, and her muscles felt very limp. But with her last bit of strength, she began climbing down the well. She would not be able to go back the Feudal Era, but if he followed her down the well, then she knew he would. She had thought it over; he most likely had gotten through because he had fragment of the jewel. The only reason she was able to return home was because that was where she was born. Taking Sesshoumaru down the well was the only way to keep the both of them alive. If not, one of them would die. Once she reached the bottom, she collapsed in the corner, gasping for breath.

As she expected, Sesshoumaru leapt down into the well a few seconds after she was down there. And also like she predicted, the floor of the well began to vanish into the vortex that would take him home. What she didn't predict, however, was that the well would take her with.

InuYasha was still by the well, waiting for Sesshoumaru to come back with Kagome's dead body. He had known Kagome for a very long time, and knew she would never be able to stand up to Sesshoumaru. But he didn't want to believe that. He wanted to believe that somehow, he couldn't find her in her time, or that she killed him first. But that was all wishful thinking.

InuYasha's ears twitched at the sound of rustling in the depths of the well and he peered down, unable able to see well due to the darkness.

"Sesshoumaru?" He called.

The eldest sibling did not answer, but merely leapt up through the well, landing gracefully in a crouching position, holding an unconscious miko in his arms.

"Is she…" InuYasha said, feeling the anger and sadness boil up under his skin.

"No. She has passed out from blood loss." Sesshoumaru replied, gazing down at the young woman's face as he laid her on the cold ground by the well.

"Why haven't you killed her yet?" The hanyou asked eagerly. "Is this some twisted game you're playing?!"

Sesshoumaru bared his fangs ever so slightly. "Do you want me to kill her?!" The deep growl in his chest softened as he noted that an arrow was still firmly lodged in his chest. Carefully, he reached up and plucked the arrow out as though it were a splinter.

"That arrow should have done a number on you. Why aren't you wounded more?" InuYasha asked.

"Her will was broken down to its last as she fired it. Her spirit was so broken that it was not strong enough and doused out at the last second. It was either me or her. If she hadn't shot that arrow, she would be dead."

InuYasha gaped at the wound in her shoulder. He had never seen her take a hit like that in all of his days. Did being with Sesshoumaru change her in some way that he could not?

He was shaken from his thoughts when he felt that he was being pinned with a stare from his brother.

"Take you with you. Hide her from me and Naraku." He said quietly. It was clear he was fighting an inner battle with himself, and he knew not which side would win.

InuYasha shook his head. "And then what? Naraku will find a way to lead you to her. Either way, one or both of you will be dead, Sesshoumaru."

"Then prolong her death! I'd rather my demise come first so that she may at least live for a little longer."

Beneath him, Kagome's eyes began to flutter open.

"Sesshoumaru…" she said weakly as he stood up, away from her. "Where are you going?" She tried to catch his sleeve but he jerked his arm away from her.

"InuYasha. Do what I asked please."

InuYasha gave his brother a questioning look at first, but nodded his head. "Hai." The hanyou came to Kagome and lifted her in his arms, taking her away from the Taiyoukai.

"InuYasha…" she said as she began to panic, looking around bewildered, "take me back to him! Don't make me leave him!" She began to weep and beg, but soon, the Taiyoukai was out of her sights.

****

Author Note: I know it's a very short chapter, but I'm actually back into writing again, so please, let this suffice for now. My internet is currently out of commission again, so the only way I'll be able to update is if I'm at my friends. My apologies you guys. Please review, its much appreciated :D.

Love, BloodLustKasura


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Chapter Nineteen**

**I'm Only Human**

**Author Note**: Wow guys… its been a while. I could never apologize enough for the wait that I put you through. There was such a long time when I had absolutely no inspiration for this story (that happens with everything I do). But, reading fanfics and looking through random pictures gave it back. I really hope this chapter came out alright. I may have even forgotten some details, and its my own story! I had to go back and look at a few things to write this chapter, but I still may have missed some things.

Please forgive mistakes, and I hope you enjoy!

Luff, BloodLustKasura

p.s. I'll take requests for fanfics if there are any ).

"InuYasha, take me back…" Kagome said for the thousandth time, her voice strained from crying and screaming. "Take me back…"

"I told you no, he asked for this. Besides, do you want to die?" The hanyou snapped at her. "So shut up and stop moving so much, you'll lose more blood."

Kagome had barely paid attention to her injury. She was so wound up in her thoughts that it didn't even cross her mind how badly it hurt until the half-demon had pointed it out.

InuYasha carefully set her down in a spot that wasn't so snowy and tore off a strip of cloth from his robe. He tore the sleeve from the arm of the wounded shoulder so that he could dress her laceration. She winced as he first wiped the excess blood from the area, then, to her surprise, began to clean the wound with his tongue as a dog would.

"W-what are you doing?" She said with the last bit of the strength she could muster.

"Cleaning your cut. Now shut up." He said hoarsely, then finished and tied the cloth around her shoulder. "It's not perfect, but for now it will work." He grabbed her other arm and yanked her off of the ground. "Can you walk?" He asked, but to answer his own question, she stumbled, briefly resting on his chest. Like old times, something in him stirred up and made his stomach feel funny from the contact. He pushed her back to stand on her own and she looked up at him through drooped eyelids.

"I don't know… I'm really dizzy…" she mumbled. "But if I have to I-" she blinked and then her eyes didn't open after that. She fell onto him again, breathing lightly.

"Stupid." InuYasha said, lifting her up and continuing away from that area. '_We have to get out of here. We aren't too far from Sesshoumaru. Even if he can't smell us, he is still drawn to her, because of that shard…' _

"Damn Naraku. Brining us back from the dead and torturing Kagome like this." He muttered under his breath, adjusting the wounded miko in his arms.

"But you wished to take part as well, InuYasha."

InuYasha searched around for the voice he heard and spied Kikyou. "What are you doing here?" He snapped.

Kikyou dropped the bow in her hands and began to come towards him. "Naraku asked for me to come and kill you." She said very calmly, not even flinching.

InuYasha took a step back, looking for an escape route.

"I had a deal with him." She began, her placid hand feeling the rough bark of a tree next to her. "He was to bring you back, and we were to kill Kagome and your brother. If that was achieved, he would let you live."

InuYasha still didn't speak, but watched her as she came closer to him. "Why did you change your mind?" Kikyou put a sad expression on her face, almost pouting, something very uncharacteristic of the miko. "You were set on killing Kagome and your brother. She didn't care when you died, she left you and went with Sesshoumaru. How can you forgive her for that, InuYasha? Didn't you want to be with me?" Kikyou was in front of him now, not even an arms length away. She lifted a cold hand to caress his cheek. "She never loved you, InuYasha." She whispered softly, shaking her head marginally. "And she never will."

The hanyou's jaw dropped as he fumbled over words. He looked down at the still living priestess in his arms. '_Did she never really love me?'_

"Give it up, InuYasha. Keeping her alive will only hurt you. She has no use."

InuYasha shook his head and took another step away from the dead miko. These words… all the things she was telling him sounded strangely familiar.

"I remember… the day you brought me back from the grave. I opened my eyes… I was glad to see you, Kikyou. Then you told me… all of these things, the things you're telling me now. I was like a newborn, and I believed you. I had forgotten a lot of things that happened while I was living, so I gladly trusted the things you told me. I thirsted for memories, so I took ones that weren't real." InuYasha gritted his fangs together. "But now… I realize you only said those things to keep me on your side; on Naraku's side. You never cared about me. Maybe you did once, but not anymore."

"InuYasha-" She tried to interject.

"But I'll tell you something, Kikyou; I don't even give a damn about you after the things you did." He glared at her through reddening eyes as he kept Kagome's unconscious body close to him.

Kikyou narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine, that's how it is." She scoffed, and darted back for her bow, but by the time she reached it, InuYasha was off, dashing through the trees.

They were being chased after by two formidable foes now, but InuYasha couldn't stop to battle them, it would endanger Kagome. He had to think of a plan, and fast.

The jewel embedded in Sesshoumaru's neck began to burn. If he could only extract it somehow… but it seemed too simple. He had been thinking about it for a while; he could just rip it out, but then what? Would Naraku know? Would he die? Whatever the risks, he decided to do it.

Carefully, he pushed his claws into the flesh of his neck, with much discomfort, and pulled the shard out. It burned the skin on his hand and the wound on his neck seemed to be growing. He felt faint, the forest around him blurring and refocusing, colors mashing together. He ripped a strip of cloth off of his haori and tied it around his neck to lessen the blood flow. The shard he held in his hand glowed a bright red. That's when he knew that something was wrong.

In the mean time, despite the pain he was in, he'd track down InuYasha and get Kagome back from him. Now that he was free from the grip of the possessed shard, he wondered what he was thinking letting that hanyou take her. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her…

**Author Note: **AH! Sorry it was soo short. I was gonna make it longer, but I got stuck and I watned to put it up today, so I just cut it off. I hope it was reasonable, despite the shortness.

Please R & R, it is very much appreciated.

Thanks to all who read this!!! I think I have the ending planned out, so I hope it won't be too long before its over.

P.S. I will take some requests for Fanfics if there are any.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Author Note:** Idodges items thrown at her I'm so sorry I haven't updated in, gosh, forever. I'm so sorry!!! I hope this suffices for a while, even though its really short!!!!!

**Chapter Twenty**

**I'm Only Human**

InuYasha stopped to rest by a frozen stream, setting Kagome down to lean on a tree, wiping the sweat from his brow. He didn't know what he was doing. To keep running was pointless. He had to stay away from his brother and Kikyou, but he couldn't go and kill Naraku on his own.

He groaned and clutched his head. "Dammit!!" He cursed, his bark disturbing the sparrows in the tree above him.

"You're sense of smell seems to be weak, InuYasha." Steps drew nearer to them, crunching twigs and snow, and InuYasha turned around to see Sesshoumaru standing there.

"What the fuck?!" InuYasha yelled. "I thought you were going to try and stay away from us?!"

"Relax, brother." Sesshoumaru said, holding his palm out with the defiled jewel shard in it. "I was able to get it, but something is happening to me because of my action. We have to go and kill Naraku now, or it will be too late."

InuYasha looked puzzled. "Too late? For what?"

Sesshoumaru never elaborated, he just continued on his way, and his brother followed, carrying Kagome.

"Sesshoumaru." InuYasha stated, staring at his brother from behind. "What's going to happen? What are we doing?"

"We are going to defeat Naraku. Once and for all."

InuYasha scoffed. "I know that, dumbass. But after that, what if we don't win? Or what if we do, who is Kagome going to stay with?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at his feet as hid continued through the snow, his feet dropping in almost a foot, making his steps strained. "We'll figure it out when it's over." He said plainly. Truth was, he didn't want to think of it. It had been going through his mind a lot the past hours. Now that his brother- half-brother- was back in the picture, did the promise still called to be fulfilled?

"_If you could take care of her, I'd be… grateful…"_

Sesshoumaru gave his word that after InuYasha was gone, he would watch after Kagome. But InuYasha was back, did that mean after this final battle Kagome would no longer be his? Would Kagome forget about her affections for him and return to loving the Hanyou? The silver haired youkai was not one to get scared easily, but the thought of losing her, especially back to his brother, made his heart quicken and his stomach knot in very unfamiliar ways. But he decided, like he had said, it would be best to sort that out after Naraku was gone.

"Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha said, with a very agitated voice. "I've been talking to you!"

The Taiyoukai must have been too deep in thought to hear him. "Hmn?" He replied.

"Kagome is waking up."

Panic wracked the Taiyoukai's mind momentarily. What would she do when she woke up? Would she be frightened, would she run?

The female's eyes fluttered open.

Kagome sensed something odd when she woke up. The jewel shard that the Taiyoukai had was emanating a different aura. It was more powerful now, more noticeable. Maybe that was what jarred her to consciousness.

"Sesshoumaru?" She muttered, and squirmed a bit, and InuYasha set her back on her feet. Rather than being afraid, she was concerned. The moment she saw him she sensed that he was no longer there to pose a threat.

He didn't turn to her voice, but stopped and waited for the two to catch up with him.

Her shoulder throbbed were it was wounded, but she tried to ignore it. As soon as she was next to the Taiyoukai, he began to move forward again. In her injured state, she was falling behind.

InuYasha tried to lift her up again, but she refused be carried, but instead pushed herself to keep up with the demon.

He never looked back at her. Surely she would hate him for what he had done to her.

"Sesshoumaru." Kagome said sternly. He stopped frigid where he was. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Aren't you frightened?" He said quietly, still keeping his gaze ahead of him.

She shook head and came to him, and this time he didn't not move. She reached up to the strip of cloth around his neck wear blood had soaked it thoroughly. "This is where the jewel was?" She asked, touching the wound tentatively.

He nodded slightly.

"Its not normal," she said softly. "The wound, I mean. Something's wrong…" She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to discern a possible diagnosis.

He pushed her hand away. "Its fine, its just a cut." Sesshoumaru said somewhat coldly. He knew very well that something was wrong. His sense of smell was fading, little by little, and he was feeling weaker. "If we are going to defeat him, it must be now." He turned back to his half brother, who was surveying the area.

"But how?" Kagome included. "There's Naraku, Kikyo, and not to mention the ones he has control of…"

"We have to remove the shards from the three, then they shouldn't be able to attack. They aren't quite as powerful without there own will." InuYasha said. "Kikyo is off on her own, out for… well, _you_." He said, looking at Kagome. "She wants to get rid of you first, that much I know."

"And Naraku will be our biggest challenge." Sesshoumaru said, closing the list.

Silence came over the group for a moment and InuYasha's ears perked forward, then grabbed Kagome's waist pulled her down.

Sesshoumaru was the last to get down, but he did just in time. A big _whoosh _was heard over head and the Hiraikotsu flew over them, snapping trees in its wake. It returned to its master and she caught it, the power of the boomerang making her take a step back.

Sango, even dead and controlled by Naraku, still looked beautiful and deadly. Her once bright brown eyes were glazed over, and her movements were doll-like, as though she were on strings, with her puppet master above the stage, directing her.

InuYasha sprang up, with his brother at his side. Sesshoumaru had no sword, and neither did InuYasha, so they were up against her with their bare hands.

Kagome was still on the ground, and it was hard for her to get up again with her injury.

Her once-alive friend pulled her arm back, bending her muscular legs and preparing to launch the weapon when a flash of red flew past them and took Sango to the ground.

InuYasha had pounced on her and she laid there, motionless. Her head fell to the side and her fingers loosened on the strap of her weapon.

InuYasha sat up and moved her weapon, still marveling at how such a petite looking woman, even as a dead doll, could lift such a heavy thing.

"That was pretty simple." The hanyou said with a triumphant tone, blowing a few strands of silver hair that had fallen in face away.

Kagome slowly came to Sango and kneeled down beside her. It seemed once the enemy was knocked down, they stopped being controlled for the time being. Perhaps it was too difficult to control someone, more that they had thought.

Kagome swept the females ponytail aside and found the jewel embedded in her neck, a dark purple glow coming off of it that only her miko eyes could see. She pried the small shard out and not even seconds later, the Taijya turned to dust, her skin disintegrating and piling around only a skeleton with clothing.

It startled the young miko at first, but she had assumed something of the sort would happen.

"I hope you can rest in peace now, Sango. The others will be there, soon." Kagome half-smiled and grazed the forehead of the skull laying before her.

Sesshoumaru didn't try to help with the process. All of his remaining energy he was saving for Naraku. It was nerving him even more how weak he felt. He didn't feel this weak even as a child, perhaps. His gaze flicked to Kagome. She was still looking down at her deceased friend.

What would happen during this battle? Who would win? Who would _live_?

He blinked, trying not to think of that again. He would just hope, _assume, _that he would live, that Kagome would live. That she would still choose him afterwards…

Author Note: Thanks for reading :D Please review, it makes my day!! (even if it was too short) Sorry if this chapter sucked :P


	22. Chapter Twenty One

**Author Note: **I'm really sorry that I haven't updated this D: I know that barely anyone reads this story now, but I promis that I hope to have the final and last chapter up either today or tomorrow! Again, please forgive me! Please review if you get the chance.  
Also, ignore spelling/grammar. I don't usually read these over when they're done.

**Chapter Twenty-one**

**I'm Only Human**

Kagome's arm was beginning to feel numb. The blood was crusted all across her shoulder, clearly visible where her shirt was torn.

The silence between the three was awkward beyond compare. Even with the battle at hand, there was a noticeable jealous tension between the brothers. Kagome didn't seem to notice, though.

InuYasha's nose flared, and his fists tightened. "He's close." He said gruffly.

Sesshoumaru didn't notice the scent until they had continued forward longer. He had no weapon other than his claws. Tetsuiga had been taken just before he was controlled. He began to doubt he'd be of much help, now.

Other than the river bubbling obliviously near them, there was only silence. The setting sun would set a perfect background to their battle.

There was a fluttering overhead and a flock of blackbirds took flight. Kagome looked upward and could see in the distant sky that all the birds were taking flight, then her eyes zeroed in and she screamed for her companions to move.

A spear lodged itself in the clearing. Without hesitation, InuYasha took the spear and held it, ready to attack. Sesshoumaru readied his claws, but all Kagome could do was stand and beware.

Naraku then came forth, with Kikyou, Miroku, Ritsu, and Yukio at his sides. Kikyou and InuYasha were on opposite sides of the playing field now. Kagome could imagine how it must felt for the both of them to stare each other down before a battle.

5 against three. And the three didn't have there weapons.

"Is this wise, InuYasha? You will die over there." Kikyou called to the deceased hanyou.

InuYasha scoffed, but had not catchy remark.

Other than that, no other pre-battle words were spoken, but Ritsu and Kikyou launched them forward first.

Kagome had no idea what kind of powers Ritsu might have had, but Ritsu was coming at her first. Sesshoumaru's reflexes were too slow to stop the attack, and he watched as the female demon pounced on the small miko like a feline. Kagome screamed, clawed and kicked, but against her inhuman strength, it was no good.

Ritsu let out cackle and freed a hand, and Kagome watched in horror as it began to glow and icy blue.

"I'll freeze your insides with this," she flexed her fingers as she spoke, "It will be the most painful thing you've _ever_ experienced…" she whispered with a cruel smile on her lips. She laughed again and just as her hand was about to come down on Kagome, the miko let out a blood curdling scream and pushed forward with her hands.

The group, all engaged in battle, stopped to see a blinding light coming from the miko. Ritsu had been sent into the air and a long second later slammed back to the earth.

Kagome stared at her hands in aw, as thin wisps of smoke rose from them. She couldn't speak, but saw Ritsu flying at her again in a fit of rage. Instinctively, Kagome held her hands up again and the blinding light appeared, and Ritsu was stopped, held in place as the force met her, and then launched backwards.

The beautiful demon writhed on the forest floor in pain, fighting off screams. Her skin was literally melting, and her hair had been singed up to her shoulders.

Staring at her own hands again, Kagome realized that this was her Miko powers. She no longer needed an arrow to purify a demon. If not for the intense situation, she would have laughed and jumped for joy, but she stopped her small internal celebration as she heard a grunt from Sesshoumaru.

She whirled around to see him slam against a large oak, and it snapped in half at the impact. The tree fell, taking others with out, and landed with a thunderous crack.

The tree interrupted InuYasha's battle with Yukio, who was trapped under a large branch. Kagome winced as InuYasha quickly slit his throat. It made Kagome's insides churn, on a lighter note, they were doing extremely well. Dare she think that they might actually win?

InuYasha took care of Miroku, which was difficult for him, but had to be done. Now it was Just Naraku left.

Sesshoumaru fought to get up when he was knocked down, and it seemed as though it was getting harder every time, and it made it no easier that Naraku was enraged with the fact that his party had fallen so easily. InuYasha tried to assist, but Naraku would just through him off like a pest. If Kagome even tried to get close enough to do something, Sesshoumaru would lock eyes with her, and she knew he meant for her to stay back.

Maybe as his old self he could have taken Naraku on, and been his equal, but now, it was just slow suicide. Sesshoumaru was on his back, panting. And he knew he couldn't get up again, even though he could hear Kagome scream his name, and he knew without lifting his head up to see her that there were tears streaming down her face. He knew it must be identical to the battle where his half brother was killed, and he took her away. When he could feel her sobs as she hung over his shoulder, screaming his brothers name. Now it was for him…. He couldn't leave her….

Naraku laughed as he circled Sesshoumaru's barely living body. "You are absolutely pathetic, Sesshoumaru. I would have expected you, out of all people, to be the one to strike me down." He laughed softly to himself. "You are just like your brother."

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes. He felt it coming. He had killed many opponents, and now knew what it felt like to be in there position. He inhaled deeply for one last time…

Nothing happened.

Kagome had leapt onto Naraku's back, and had her hands around his neck. She squeezed as hard as she could, trying to choke him, but he just laughed.

Now, without much force, she used her Miko powers again. She could feel the burning beneath her hands of his impure skin as it turned into flames. He attempted to throw her off, but she held on as hard as she could. Her wounded shoulder throbbed with pain, but she wouldn't let Sesshoumaru die. He wouldn't take two loves away from her…

She finally fell off of him, biting back a yelp from the pain that spiked from her shoulder as she hit the ground, but watched as Naraku began to fall apart, turning into ashes. The flames dissipated and he was truly, no more. She stared in disbelief, not really believing it, until InuYasha ran to her and picked her up, cheering and laughing.

"Kagome, I can't believe you did it!" He applauded. "All these years, and you're the one to finally get rid of him!"

Kagome smiled to herself. She had never been useful to her group, she thought. She never had any real powers or use at all, but this he was finally dead. Because of her! Her friends could rest in peace and she and Sesshoumaru could…

She looked to where Sesshoumaru was lying, and her heart skipped a beat when she couldn't see the rise and fall of his chest.


End file.
